The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare; Volume 4, Berthier/Bren

New York: Columbia House, 1978. Presumed First Edition, First printing this publisher/distributor. Hardcover. Good/No dust jacket issued. John Batchelor. [8], 337-448 pages. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrations (some in color). Tabular Data. Cover has sticker scuff and residue, some wear and soiling. Vol. 8 in the series, extensively illustrated with photographs and drawings, some in color. Arranged alphabetically and printed in triple column format. Opens with Berthier and ends with Bren. A 12 page section appended at end devoted to German Artillery. Purnell's Illustrated Encyclopedia of modern Weapons and Warfare is a partwork originating with Purnell in 1967-1969, republished under the Phoebus brand. Its contributors and editors included Bill Gunston (aviation), Ian V. Hogg (land weapons), John Batchelor (illustrations) and editor Bernard Fitzsimons. The quality of these lead contributors ensured high quality and accuracy in the finished product. The publication covers the twentieth century to publication, in alphabetical order, in 125 volumes. Levels of detail varied from a short paragraph, to several pages of technical and operational analysis. In addition to the main content there were a number of John Batchelor posters and other promotional offers. A 24-volume encyclopedia, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, was published in 1977. It was distributed by Columbia House. Consulting editors included: Bill Gunston, Ian V. Hogg, and Antony Preston. Bill Gunston OBE, FRAeS (1 March 1927 - 1 June 2013) was a British aviation and military author. He flew with Britain's Royal Air Force from 1945 to 1948, and after pilot training became a flying instructor. He spent most of his adult life doing research and writing on aircraft and aviation. He was the author of over 350 books and articles. Gunston attended the Northampton Engineering College until 1951 then he joined the staff of Flight International magazine, where, writing as "W.T.G.", he was appointed Technical Editor in April 1955. From 1969, he was part of the production team on the annual publication Jane's All the World's Aircraft, editing the 2015/16 edition. He was editor of Jane's Aero-Engines from 1995 to 2007. Ian Vernon Hogg (1 January 1926 - 7 March 2002) was a British author of books on firearms, artillery, ammunition, and fortification, as well as biographies of several famous general officers. During his career he wrote, co-wrote, edited, or co-edited about 150 books. His first books were published in the late 1960s while he was still an instructor. After retiring from the military, he pursued the career of military author and historian. He was editor of Jane's Infantry Weapons from 1972 to 1994. He worked with a skilled artist, John Batchelor, to ensure that his books were well illustrated with cutaway diagrams. He contributed articles to a variety of journals, and his books have been translated into a dozen languages. In Brazil, Argentina, and Spain his translated books are popular among military circles. Antony Preston (26 February 1938 - 25 December 2004) was an English naval historian and editor, specializing in the area of 19th and 20th-century naval history and warship design. Antony Preston was a prolific author both of books and articles, and published on subjects ranging from the American Revolution to modern seapower; the bibliography given below illustrates the breadth of his expertise. He wrote on general military history, as well as most aspects of naval history and modern-day naval matters. He was a pugnacious writer and was usually willing to take up one side of a controversy, even in a work of reference. John Henry Batchelor MBE (1936-2019) was an English artist and technical illustrator, particularly known for his clear and detailed cutaway illustrations of vehicles and military equipment and stamp illustrations. His work can be seen in many hundreds of late-20th-century works on armor, fighting vehicles, ships, firearms, etc. (for example the many works of Ian V. Hogg). Batchelor's work is particularly sought after by scale model makers for its accuracy. He provided illustrations for many magazines such as Radio Times, TV Times and technical interest publications such as Popular Mechanics, Air & Space, and The Aeroplane. In 1966 he became involved with Purnell's partwork History of the Second World War, for which he produced a total of 1163 illustrations. This partnership extended to the same publisher's subsequent History of the First World War and Encyclopedia of modern Weapons and Warfare.