Book Recommendation

[b.lindsey]

Back in October I had my model engines set up at our local annual antiques engine show. On Saturday as it happened, a lady and her husband from a local artian group set up next to me displaying hand spinning of yarns. During that afternoon as I was visiting her display she commented that seeing all the little engines running and the kids (of all ages) watching them with some fascination reminded her of a book she had read years before and that I might enjoy. She added that the title of the book was "Trustee from the Toolroom," by Nevil Shute (probably best known for "On the Beach"). I thanked her and told her that i would see if I could find it on Amazon.com. I mentioned the conversation to my better half who, by the time I got home that evening from the show had found a used copy on Amazon and ordered it for me. The book was published in 1960 and the protagonist of the story, a middle aged English man of modest means is a model engineer who also writes articles for a weekly model engineering magazine with circulation extending far beyond the UK.

Though the story does not focus entirely on model engineering, it is a constant thread throughout the book, in that this gentleman, Keith Stewart, has corresponded with fellow modelers throughout the world and in doing so (long before the age of the internet) had established acquaintences and even friendships far stronger than he even realized. It is a non-complex and yet delightful story which many if not most of us can relate to in some way and it is in that spirit that I pass along this recommendation, as it was so kindly and sincerely passed on to me.

I think it is now out of print, but the used copy I got had at one time been in a public library so that might be a place to check first.

Regards,
Bill

 

[GailInNM]

Nevil Shute was an accomplished model engineer as one of his many hobbies. The lead character in "Trustee from the Toolroom" was loosely patterned after ET Westbury and the model engineering magazine was in real life "Model Engineer", which Westbury was a frequent contributer to. Nevil Schute was a pen name, and I have forgotten his real name. As I recall, he did publish a few items in "Model Engineer" under his real name. I don't recall what and they may have just been a letter to the editor or something like that.

"Trustee from the Toolroom" was also published in condensed form in Reader's Digest condensed books in book number 3 of 1960. These condensed books frequently show up in flea markets, Friends of the Library book sales, and estate sales. Going price in this area for the condensed books is typically 25 cents each or 10 for a dollar.

I have a copy of "Trustee from the Toolroom" and reread it every few years.
Gail in NM,USA

 

[PTsideshow]

Here you go locate a copy in a library near you if they are a member. Or locate were every copy is in a library in the world with distance from you if they belong to the group. here http://www.worldcat.org/

glen

 

[mklotz]

Shute's complete name was: Nevil Shute Norway

This is offered not from pedantics but because many libraries can't decide which name to use in filing his books. Look under both "Shute" and "Norway".

The book is highly recommended as are all of Shute's books. "On the Beach" and "A Town Called Alice" were both made into successful films but his less well known volumes are also good reads.

His book "Sliderule" is, more or less, his autobiography. In it he discusses his work on the British airship R100, one of a pair built by the British to connect their empire, particularly India. Due to bureacratic foul-ups, its sister ship, the R101, crashed on its maiden voyage to India, killing all aboard and, Hindenburgesque, sounding the death knell for lighter than air craft in Britain.

In "Trustee..." Keith, the protagonist, turns some small metal eggs on his lathe for a gift for his young niece. Of course, being an expert, he does this by hand. That impressed me tremedously when I read it. True, it's fiction, but I've done some wood carving and know just how difficult it is to duplicate the subtle, constantly varying curves of an egg. In fact, carving eggs was once a test used to evaluate journeyman wood carvers.

I finally developed a mathematical equation that mimics the egg shape closely and used it in one of my profiling programs to develop a cutting chart for this shape. It worked quite well. The program is archived on my page in the EGG.ZIP archive.

 

[Maryak]

Apart from the Model Engineering side of "Trustee...." for those interested in such things it also describes ocean navigation using the techniques of observations with your eyes. A good read. If you haven't read it then I can recommend it.

Best Regards
Bob

 

[bentprop]

"Trustee from the toolroom" is a very good read ,and it is available as an e-book for free.Unfortunately,I cannot find where I got it now
I'm sure if you google the title,it'll turn up somewhere.
Hans.

 

[Brian Rupnow]

Another very good book is "The Ugly American". Yes, it is full of good old American propaganda, but its a darn good read about a man (I think he was an engineer) and his wife stationed in Borneo or somewhere in Malaysia in the 1950's. It describes how he helped the natives use some of the old burned out hulks of world war 2 machinery to improve their irrigation for crops, and way of life in general.

 

[max corrigan]

"Trustee from the toolroom" is a very good read ,and it is available as an e-book for free.Unfortunately,I cannot find where I got it now
I'm sure if you google the title,it'll turn up somewhere.
Hans.

Its under "THE BURGOMEISTER BOOKS" The Truly Free ebook Download (#1) got to scroll down the list till you come too Shute Neville
I'm gonner start reading now!!
Max...............

 

[Cedge]

Marv
One of the most fascinating books I ever read was titled "The Airmen Who Wouldn't Die." I don't recall where I got hold of it, but it was an old book at the time and the author is long forgotten now.

The book was classified as non fiction, which made it even stranger. As I recall, The premise of the story was that an English woman of very limited education began having unusual dreams, right after the crash of R101, where "military men" she'd never met would come to her asking for her help. As the tale unfolded, these men began giving her detailed information on the failure of the airship in highly technical terms she didn't understand, but dully noted on paper.

The notes included drawings of classified structural sections of the airship and metallurgical details that were completely alien to her. She was instructed to contact a specific individual within the airship project and deliver the information she was being given... before the government convened its accident review board.

I'd have to find the book and read it again to tell much more, but the predictable reactions were all there, until one of the airmen made a comment that bridged suspicion. The details she provided were found to be specific and correct after a bit of investigation.

I'm not the spookem type, but I did find the book rather hard to put down. After reading the "Titan" I've always enjoyed finding such reading matter.

Steve

 

[max corrigan]

Marv
One of the most fascinating books I ever read was titled "The Airmen Who Wouldn't Die." I don't recall where I got hold of it, but it was an old book at the time and the author is long forgotten now.

The book was classified as non fiction, which made it even stranger. As I recall, The premise of the story was that an English woman of very limited education began having unusual dreams, right after the crash of R101, where "military men" she'd never met would come to her asking for her help. As the tale unfolded, these men began giving her detailed information on the failure of the airship in highly technical terms she didn't understand, but dully noted on paper.

The notes included drawings of classified structural sections of the airship and metallurgical details that were completely alien to her. She was instructed to contact a specific individual within the airship project and deliver the information she was being given... before the government convened its accident review board.

I'd have to find the book and read it again to tell much more, but the predictable reactions were all there, until one of the airmen made a comment that bridged suspicion. The details she provided were found to be specific and correct after a bit of investigation.

I'm not the spookem type, but I did find the book rather hard to put down. After reading the "Titan" I've always enjoyed finding such reading matter.

Steve

Steve it was by John G Fuller if you google it all comes up
Max...............

 

[PTsideshow]

Would this be the one,

The ISBN# is on the back cover along with the original hardcover edition
in case you want to hunt up a copy on the net.

Even though it is labeled non fiction, it probably be in with the UFO's and ghosty stuff as the author Mr. Fuller was an investigator in to the such like at the time.

It is a good read and I have enjoyed it a couple of times.
glen

 

[baldrocker]

Once again HMEM shows why it is the best.
What diverse subjects come up, yet most tie
in with ME somewhere.
Nevil Shute :bow: :bow: :bow:
BR