Böcker av Ian Johnston

This is a biography of musician Nick Cave, from his early days with "The Birthday Party". Charting his career, it explores Cave's idiosyncratic, obsessive lyrical visions, which make no concession to prevailing musical fads. Insights into his turbulent personal life are also given.

One of the great names in British industrial history, the Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Govan, Glasgow, was always associated with innovation - particularly the development of the compound steam engine which brought great fuel efficiency to deep sea transportation and led to the ubiquitous triple expansion steam engine. Through the design and construction of record-breaking Atlantic liners and their machinery for the Guion and Cunard companies, by the late nineteenth century Fairfield had become the most important shipyard and marine engine works in the world. Admiralty contracts for all classes of warship followed, notably during the world wars and as a lifeline during the depression of the 1920s and early 1930s. However, the Fairfield yard was probably best known for building magnificently appointed intermediate liners, among them a series of Empress liners for Canadian Pacific. From the late 1950s onwards as shipbuilding in Britain began a steady decline, Fairfield, one of the most modern yards in Europe with a large order book, hit the headlines this time not for the launch or completion of a ship but by declaring insolvency in 1965. The next 35 years, much of it under state ownership, were characterised by various name changes and campaigns to keep the yard open. With its traditional market for 'high class' tonnage gone and no longer designated a warship yard, new commercial markets had to be found. When this struggle for survival seemed to be all but over and the virtual elimination of the commercial shipbuilding industry in Britain now complete, BAE Systems acquired the yard in 2000 bringing with it stability and continuity. A major warship-builder once more, the former Fairfield yard has been heavily involved in the Type 45 destroyer programme, the production of major blocks for the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, the five River class Offshore Patrol Vessels and currently with the Type 26 frigate programme. With the skyline of Glasgow soon to be transformed once BAE Systems completes its next-generation ship construction hall, capable of building two Type 26 frigates side by side under cover, the future looks bright for the last of the great Clyde shipyards.

Air-conditioning is one of those universal modern conveniences whose origins are entirely unknown to the general public. Online sources credit the first commercial system to the American Willis Carrier in 1902 - but this is not true. The first workable machine was patented four years earlier by Alexander Stewart, a Scottish marine engineer, who called his invention the Thermotank. It offered a massive improvement in comfort for passengers and was rapidly adopted by the shipping industry, eventually equipping many of the greatest liners of their day like _Lusitania_ and _Mauretania_. From these beginnings Alexander and his brothers William and Frederick Stewart built an immensely successful engineering firm with subsidiaries in America, Africa, Australia and Europe. Based on Clydeside, its fortunes were always closely linked to the shipbuilding industry, but with the slump at the end of the First World War the company was forced to look to other markets. At this point Alexander came up with a second world-beating invention, which he called the Punkah Louvre - the swivelling nozzle most familiar today as the source of ventilation in airliners. This made it easier to apply the Thermotank system to other forms of transport and even buildings, greatly expanding its sales potential. Still largely a family concern, the business remained innovative and competitive until the 1960s, when the decline in British shipbuilding and the beginnings of globalisation led to amalgamation, restructuring and eventually the demise of the Thermotank name. In the process, most of the company records were dispersed or lost so this book is a particularly valuable testimony to a great British - specifically, Scottish - success story. Although almost unknown today, Thermotank was a business that changed the world.

What is it about old tractors that is so fascinating and entrancing? The sounds and smells of these old relics? The hunt to find the rarest of models? Or simply the memories such machines evoke? 'The Magic of Old Tractors' explores this intriguing world and is essential reading for anyone with a passion for classic tractors. Renowned international expert and self confessed tractorphile Ian M Johnston invites you to become acquainted with the nostalgic world of spanners, grease and exhaust smoke, and to experience the wonderful world of old tractors.

A volume of stunning shipyard plate photos, most previously unpublished. Devoted to the most popular ship type of the Great War. Top of the range production combined with affordable price.

A new affordable softcover edition of a bestselling work on the perennially popular subject of battleships. Well researched and thoughtfully illustrated. Fascinating insights into a great industrial achievement.

This two-part writer's handbook is designed for instruction, reference, and evaluation, and can be used for high school, college, and professional writing. Part 1 is a course in essays and arguments with topic-sentence outline models and much more. Part 2 is a traditional reference guide to grammar, style, and usage. Presented with a detailed table of contents that allows the reader to pinpoint issues and find solutions to writing questions.A few highlights:- How to construct a logical, interesting argument for an essay, debate, or research paper- How to structure different types of essays, paragraph by paragraph- How to use inductive and deductive reasoning- How read thoughtfully and write about literature, including short stories, full-length classics, and poetry- Topic sentence outline examples for papers in literature, social studies, public policy, and more

An album of stunning shipyard photos, most previously unpublished. Showcasing the work of a major shipbuilder during the Great War. A companion to the highly successful Clydebank Battlecruisers.

An informal historical approach that shows the evolution of both theory and application at the intersection of physics and music. It features an examination of psycho-acoustics and its role in the design of MP3s. It also includes information on the gamelan and other Asian percussion instruments.