Old Pond publishing days

Great commendations for Long Haul Pioneers book

Ashley Coghill has received a really great response from the first readers of his book about Astran, The Long Haul Pioneers. Here are some of them:

Hi Ash well done a fantastic book as I don't read but finding myself not been able to put astran book down best fathers day present I ever had !!! This book is brill. CG

Hey mate i got my copy of The Long Haul Pioneers today and it's exceeded all expectations it's fantastic a credit to you!!! Thank you. MJ

Hi Ash, Got your book on thursday & i hav'nt been able to put it down mate its just fantastic, i would say that its better than Cola Cowboys, in fact its the best truckin book i've read & the pictures tell stories as well, but thats just my opinion & im sure it is the opinion of a lot of others too. Cheers, G

Congratulations on the book, just had a quick look through and is looks excellent. Hope you have plans for a second book- general history of UK/European middle east haulage maybe. Thanks for a great book about a great company. JE

Hi  Ashley, i received your book thanks, i have to say a big well done to you!! what a fantastic book!! i have had nearly all the truck books over the years even the little observers books but yours is far far out in front. I have had a quick look thru, and now started to read it properly, already i can't put it down, the  wife has the hump because i'm not doing  my  chores!!
 
Ash: As you know I was always sceptical of how your book would turn out. Being an old hand myself, it is difficult for me to see the hard job from other peoples minds as I had some very testing times myself. I have to say mate, you have done a stirling job and you are to be congratulated in the biggest order! Very well done indeed. I cannot put the bloody book down which has made things a little tense with my wife as I promised her all manner of things which would get done, but alas they will just have to wait! I'm totally in awe of Gordon Pearce and Bob Paul. What courageous people and Gordons descriptive chapter and his photos have blown me away. All the best RC

Dear Mr Coghill. It is with the greatest of pleasure that I commend you very high on the best trucking book I ever have read. Stories form Asian drivers are exceptional and pictures clear and superb. With best wishes FD

Ferdy de Martin of Toprun, based in Switzerland, has put his own comments on  YouTube.
 

Farming Diaries Volume Two - new DVD from Tractor Barn at Old Pond

Farming Diaries Volume Two: from the driving seat (Tractor Barn Productions), Stephen Richmond & Jonathan Whitlam. DVD, approx 100 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-48-8. In stock at Old Pond at £15.95 inc VAT.

For nearly twenty yearsStephen Richmond has worked for farmer John Raven, near Lowestoft, Suffolk. The farm has grown to well over 500 acres, an arable unit whose main crops are oilseed rape, sugar beet, potatoes, wheat and barley.

  Stephen’s DVD diary covers a typical year from January to December to include all the arable operations from seedbed preparation to harvesting. The machinery used is diverse, including Case IH, John Deere and Claas tractors, not to forget an MF 135 still drilling sugar beet. In addition to these there is a feature on the many demonstration models Stephen has been able to try out on the farm, while a second feature looks in detail at the MXM 120 as a ‘Jack of all trades’.

Other machinery includes the unusual Case IH Axial–Flow 2788 combine as well as a number of harvesters, some belonging to the farm and some run by contractors. The move to use contractors is one of the developments Stephen has seen during his working life, as he explains when he talks about recent developments in machinery and farm practice.

Stephen Richmond, along with Jonathan Whitlam, came to prominence in the late 1990s when their first ‘Tractor Boys’ videos were released. They have since been behind many popular DVDs and now run their own list which can be seen on our main website as Tractor Barn Productions.

Know Your Buses new book advance information

Know Your Buses by James Race. Pocket-sized (104 x 155 mm) paperback, 96 pages including 45 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-38-9. Now in stock at Old Pond at £4.99.

Every day in all corners of Great Britain, buses can be found transporting the public for local and long distance journeys as well as sightseeing and school transport.

In Know Your Buses James Race shows 44 models. He selects those which are the most popular among bus operators as well as a few of the models less commonly seen. They are all currently licensed for public use today.

Interestingly, many of the bus chassis are built in different countries from the bodywork which accompanies them. This is shown with the description for each bus.

The buses featured are: AEC Routemaster,  Bluebird AARE,  BMC 1100FE,  Bristol VR, DAF DB250,  DAF SB220, Dennis Dart, Dennis Dart SLF,  Dennis Dominator,  Dennis Dragon,  Dennis Enviro200,  Dennis Enviro400,  Dennis Enviro500,  Dennis Lance,  Dennis Trident,  Irisbus Agora Line,  Leyland Lion,  Leyland Lynx,  Leyland National,  Leyland Olympian,  Leyland Titan,  MAN 14.220,  MCW Metrobus,  Mercedes O405,  Mercedes O814D,  Mercedes Citaro,  Optare Excel,  Optare Solo,  Optare Tempo,  Optare Versa,  Plaxton Primo, Scania N113CRB,  Scania N270UD,  Scania OmniCity,  Volvo Ailsa,   Volvo B6B,  Volvo B7RLE,  Volvo B9TL,  Volvo B10BLE,  Volvo Citybus,  Volvo Olympian,  VDL SB200,  Wright Gemini 2,  Wright Streetcar.

Know Your Buses follows the success of nine other books in the Know Your ... series.

Long Haul Pioneers book in stock

Eagerly anticipated, and now here at publishers Old Pond, you can learn more about Ashley Coghill's new book, or buy your copy, at The Long Haul Pioneers.

Working Tractors Part 2 new DVD in stock

Another cheap and cheerful programme from Tractor Barn creatives Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam has come into stock at Old Pond. To see further details or order a copy go to Working Tractors Part 2.

DAF at Work: 2800, 3300 and 3600 book advance information

DAF at Work: 2800, 3300 and 3600 by Patrick W Dyer. Hardback book 210 x 265 mm (landscape), 144 pages including approx 190 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-37-2. Now in stock at Old Pond at £19.95.

Truck enthusiasts who have read Patrick Dyer's book Scania at Work: LB 110, 111, 140 & 141 will know what to expect - a wealth of photographs, some from the manufacturer, some from enthusiastic amateurs, supported by interesting and informative captions as well as longer introductions which set the scene for each model.

Patrick begins by considering the early history of the company which, although now owned by the American company, PACCAR, and with links to Leyland, has its roots firmly in Eindhoven, Holland.

The bulk of the book is given to the 2800 and 3300 ranges. The author goes carefully through the steady technical progress made by DAFtrucks and shows how, with its attention to driver comfort and economy of operation the marque became a favourite for a wide range of trucking operations.

The company started truck manufacture relatively late, but in the early 1970s it took an industry lead with its flagship 2800. The ‘Supercontinental’ version, with its wide tilt sleeper cab with two full-size bunks and its powerful 11.6-litre DAF engine was a natural for long-haul work.

The successor 3300 and 3600 models took the company into the 1980s, running alongside Scania and Volvo as a long-distance driver’s favourite. The 330 hp engine suited it for the heavy-duty special transport that became a feature of the period. This book is rich in photographs from the 1970s and ’80s. 

Patrick W Dyer works in the automotive industry and is based in Essex. He has written two books for Old Pond: the Scania title mentioned above and Know Your Trucks, a pocket-sized introduction for novice enthusiasts.

Ice Road Truckers Series 3 DVD in stock at Old Pond

Details of Ice Road Truckers Complete Series 3 by the History Channel were given in the blog of 4 May. It is now in stock for online sale at Old Pond at £19.95. 

Old Pond provisional book and DVD publishing schedule May-December 2010

Old Pond Publishing provisional schedule May-December 2010

May
Ice Road Truckers Season Three, History Channel. Four-disk DVD set, approx 10 hours viewing. ISBN 978-1-906853-43-3. £19.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 4 May  IN STOCK

Working Tractors Part 2 (Tractor Barn Productions), presented by Stephen Richmond. DVD, approx 50 minutes plus extras. ISBN 978-1-906853-47-1. £9.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 4 May IN STOCK

June
The Long Haul Pioneers, Ashley Coghill. Hardback book, 320 pages 280 x 220 mm including 345 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-33-4. To be published 26 June, £29.95. Details: blog 2 April REPRINTING - NEW STOCK DUE EARLY OCTOBER.

Combine Harvesters: Part 1 1941-84, Chris Lockwood. DVD, approx 90 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-34-1. £15.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 27 March IN STOCK

Combine Harvesters: Part 2 1985-2009, Chris Lockwood. DVD, approx 100 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-35-8. £15.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 27 March IN STOCK

(The two combine programmes together £29.95.)

 July
Starks’ Harvesters, Robert S White. Paperback 216 x 138 mm, 176 pages inc 29 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-46-4. £9.95. Details: blog 30 April IN STOCK

Farming Diaries Part 2 (Tractor Barn Productions), Stephen Richmond & Jonathan Whitlam. DVD, approx 75 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-48-8. £15.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 18 June IN STOCK

September
Know Your Buses, James Race. Paperback, 104 x 155 mm (landscape), 96 pages inc 45 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-38-9. £4.99. Details: blog 17 June and now IN STOCK  

DAF at Work: 2800, 3300 & 3600, Patrick W Dyer. Hardback, 210 x 265 mm (landscape), 144 pages inc approx 200 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-37-2. £19.95. Details: blog 19 May and now IN STOCK

Working Tractors Part 3: Big Power Special (Tractor Barn Productions), Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam. DVD, approx 70 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-53-2. £12.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 8 July and now IN STOCK

October
Know Your Donkeys, Jack Byard. Paperback, 104 x 155 mm (landscape), 76 pages inc 35 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-31-0. £4.99. Details: blog 13 July and now IN STOCK

Harwich & Dovercourt:  the photographs of Alfred Smith, David Kindred. Paperback, 234 x 169 mm, 128 pages inc approx 220 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-49-5. £12.95. Details: blog 10 August and now IN STOCK

Massive Backhoe Dredgers, Steven Vale. DVD, approx 100 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-36-5. £17.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 19 August and now IN STOCK

Ford Tractors 1965-95, George French & Dennis Burston. DVD, approx 90 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-51-8. £16.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 29 August and now IN STOCK

December
Seventy Years of Farm Machinery Part Two: Harvest, Brian Bell. Hardback, 246 x 189 mm, 224 pages inc 300 photographs. ISBN 978-1-906853-50-1. £24.95. Details: blog 23 September and now IN STOCK
 
The Potato Files (Tractor Barn Productions), Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam. DVD, approx 100 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-54-9. £15.95 inc VAT. Details: blog 25 September and now IN STOCK

More filming for the new DVD on Ford tractors

Just had a weekend in south Devon recording footage for the forthcoming DVD Ford Tractors 1964-85, following recordings we made last year. Stills from 2009 are on the blog at 22 July and 22 August 2009.

This year we started at Parklands farm, Awliscombe, near Honiton where Ian Maynard demonstrated a Ford 7600 Dual Power (left) belonging to Michael Persey. The tractor was registered in 1976.

A couple of years later, this Muir-Hill 121 first saw the light of day. It is now owned and driven by Peter Ellis, near Axminster. Peter's family turned up to help him cut and load wood from the railway embankment.

Jump another three years to 1981for the Ford 4600 4wd with a Lambourn cab (above left) owned and driven by Edward Underdown at Nag's Head farm, Gittisham. He has just taken the Ford Ransomes TS90 3-furrow plough across river in the area of the Honiton showground.

First prize for classic unrestored tractors at the 2009 Honiton show was awarded to Giles and Val Bamerger of Lomas farm, Honiton for their Ford TW-35 Series II (right). Giles had the 1986 machine handling a Dowdeswell DP7 5-furrow plough.

It was into the early 1990s for Les Ellis's Ford 7840 Powerstar SL (left). We filmed him manuring pasture with a Marshall 10.5 cu m side-discharge dung spreader.

Haches de Guerre - Canadian foresters in Normandy 1916-19 book information

In 1918 the British (or should I say, Suffolk) artist Alfred Munnings toured the camps of the Canadian foresters working in Normandy in order to paint the scenes he found there. This new French book includes some fine Munnings pictures from the visit, including the canvas on the front cover.

Another great recorder was the French photographer Paul Lancre. This book contains many fine photographs by him or from his collection.

The theme of the book is the work of the Canadian foresters in northern France during the second half of the First World War. It is the catalogue of an exhibition at the Orne Department Archives 19 April to 2 July 2010, then at the museum of French Emigration to Canada, Tourouvre, 14 July to 31 December 2010.

The book deals firstly with the Canadian Forestry Corps: recruitment and organisation in Canada; deployment and development from Britain and in France; techniques of forestry work; Sir Alfred Munnings's 1918 paintings.
Secondly, the exploitation of the forests in the Orne region: the various forestry camps; foresters at work, photographs by Paul Lancre; portraits of people involved; the social side of the camps; Armistice and the return to Canada.

Old Pond is pleased to have supplied several of the photograph scans used in the book, copies of images originally from the Imperial War Museum and included in Farming and Forestry on the Western Front.

Haches de Guerre [war axes]: les bûcherons [loggers] canadiens dans les forêts normandes (1916-1919), Conseil général de l'Orne. Hardback 280 x 239 mm, 144 pages including 326 illustrations. ISBN 978-2-86061-03309. 28 Euros. Further information: Pôle jeunesse culture, 6-10 avenue de Basingstoke, BP 528 - 61017 Alençon Cedex, France.