Old But Better Than Good
October 10, 2007
By R. E. Spalinger "AF Veteran" (Lee, MA USA)

The B-24 Liberator: A Pictorial History (Hardcover) What I can truthfully say is that this book is the best volume written on the B-24 Liberator aircraft to date. This statement is made even though it dates from 1975, and (so far as I know) it hasn't been reprinted. It should be.

There have been other books on the B-24 that are well executed. However, none contain the wealth of information present in Allan Blue's volume. Further, none have a range and depth of information that is as comprehensive and as well presented as is contained herein. Thus if you are interested in the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, or any at all of its variants, this book is for you. If you are a an aviation historian and need B-24 Liberator data or information, then this is your source for almost all of what you need.

As far as aircraft history books go I put it in the top three that I know of. It's right up there with Dennis Jenkins's volume on the F-105 Thunderchief, and David Anderton's on the F-100 Super Sabre. All three comprise the right balance of excellent growth and development detail, equipment description and explanation, pictorial example, technical and contractor/customer aircraft airframe unit data, and concise USAAF/Navy Unit/Theater application history. This is all supported by a superb narrative, well designed tables, and photographic evidence.

Blue's book is available on the open market - when copies are available - only in used form. I purchased mine after finding and examining a loan copy via public library search. It was well worth the wait and the investment.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Unique and well-researched design history of the B-24, February 14, 2009
By Jersey Kid (Katy, Texas, America!)

This review is from: B-24 Liberator (Hardcover) A design history of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber that is written in a detailed and informative manner that is decidely different, in a very positive way, from other books of the genre. Author Blue assumes that his readers are relatively familiar with this World War Two that was always the notional younger sibling to the Boeing B-17 and B-29. With that being the case, he does not present a military history of the aircraft's deployment and use. Instead, Mr. Blue tell the reader about the design of the aircraft, providing insight into the evolutionary changes that went over the course of its service life. For example, while there were eight main variations of the B-24 used in the war, the actual differences between the last five types can be considered minor. The author also - in both word and picture - notes that consistency was not all that adhered to in the produciton process. He cites and shows a number of cases where it was clear that getting an aircraft through manufacture with parts on hand was paramount. He also describes how some B-24 units would seek to hold on to certain versions because of affinities for a particular technology found on that type.

If the book has a weakness, it is in the photos contained in this volume. There is a bit of a disconnect between some of the pictures and the narrative. I also felt there was a bit of an over emphasis on "one-off" types. Still, this book is - despite its age (published in 1976) - the most comprehensive study on the Liberator.