John S Posted 21 October , 2005 Share Posted 21 October , 2005 Received my copy today. First impressions are excellent. Loads of pictures that are new to me and the panoramas on the cd's are amazing. Can zoom in and move around the pictures very easily. Don't think you are able to print any of the photo's but given that they are copyright then not too surprised. Well worth buying. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Jones Posted 21 October , 2005 Share Posted 21 October , 2005 It is a fantastic book but I think you have got that message already. Don't forget that is by the same author who gave us 'Beneath Flanders Fields', so you know what you can expect. Regards Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auimfo Posted 23 October , 2005 Share Posted 23 October , 2005 Due for release in Australia on 1/11/05 and to be priced at AUD$125. Appears to be a slightly different layout of the book and if you note carefully there is no symbol indicating CD Roms and nothing mentioned on Random House Publishing's site about CD's being included. I think I might look elsewhere for a better bargain. Tim L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 23 October , 2005 Share Posted 23 October , 2005 Can't see why the Australian edition should not include the CD Roms. If this is the case, if any Aussie member wants a UK copy forwarded, I am sure we could oblige. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auimfo Posted 23 October , 2005 Share Posted 23 October , 2005 Thanks Ian, I think I'll be ordering it from Amazon for 35 pounds (our keyboards don't have the symbol) which is about AUD$81. I did see it on the US Amazon site for even cheaper but it hadn't been released and also mentioned nothing about CD's. Tim L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Banning Posted 24 October , 2005 Share Posted 24 October , 2005 Due for release in Australia on 1/11/05 and to be priced at AUD$125. Appears to be a slightly different layout of the book and if you note carefully there is no symbol indicating CD Roms and nothing mentioned on Random House Publishing's site about CD's being included. I think I might look elsewhere for a better bargain. Tim L. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Tim, I can assure you that the book, wherever it is distributed, contains the CD Roms. The book simply would not make sense without these. The website for Random House in Australia should be updated soon to show the correct details. You won't have any need to buy it from Amazon's UK website. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 24 October , 2005 Share Posted 24 October , 2005 Just received my copy, have not had time to go through it yet but first impressions on what I have looked at is very good. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF Kelly Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Dear All, I don't know if this is the correct place to ask this question, but do any members know whether or not the CD rom photographs which come with this book can be viewed on a Mac? I have a G4 iMac with OS X and Photoshop but maybe this would not do. Any help appreciated. Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinglma Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Kevin My copy arrived this morning. The CD-Roms say "Windows CD-Rom" on the label, which would suggest that they are not Mac compatible. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Banning Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Kevin My copy arrived this morning. The CD-Roms say "Windows CD-Rom" on the label, which would suggest that they are not Mac compatible. Mike <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mike, You are quite right. The publishers looked at doing a 'dual platform' CR-Rom but it was too complex and would have cut down the numbers of panoramas on the discs considerably. It's a real shame for Mac users but as the vast majority of people use Windows the publishers came to this difficult decision. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinglma Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 As mentioned above my copy arrived this morning and first impressions are that this is a superb publication. Admittedly I have yet to read a word of text and have spent the last three hours 'looking at the pictures' both in the book and on the CDs. It is extraordinary to come face to face with the landscape of the Western Front and to realise that the destruction was confined to such a narrow band. The photographs show intact church spires and villages just outside the range of the guns. The early photos show a battlefield yet to be ravaged by war and weather. The 1915 photos around Hooge for example show the ruins of the Chateau and trench lines crossing verdant fields and woods. The a tree-lined Menin Road passes through the panorama. My own personal favourite discovery is a panorama from the station at Arras from the middle of 1916. It is taken from the top of a chimney used as an observation post. Some months later my grandfather's Siege Battery used this observation post. To know that this is the landscape that they would have looked on is almost unimaginably moving. I may have to go without food this week but I reckon this book's treasures will last a lifetime. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF Kelly Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Mike, Ralph Thanks for the information. Pretty much as I expected. My only other thought was - are the pictures stored as jpegs or in some format which makes them able to be viewed as images or does the image file come with a particular PC application for viewing? I suppose I'll still get the book but it would be nice to see the images even if I can't zoom and so on. I'll keep checking here, maybe someone can experiment a bit. Regards Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Banning Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Mike, Ralph Thanks for the information. Pretty much as I expected. My only other thought was - are the pictures stored as jpegs or in some format which makes them able to be viewed as images or does the image file come with a particular PC application for viewing? I suppose I'll still get the book but it would be nice to see the images even if I can't zoom and so on. I'll keep checking here, maybe someone can experiment a bit. Regards Kevin <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Kevin, Unfortunately you are right in supposing that the image file comes with a particular PC application for viewing. There is no way to see these if you have a Mac. However, the book is over 370 pages long and I am sure you could use a friend's PC to view the panoramas. Not ideal but after Mike's eloquent review thus far, it must be worth buying! Ta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 I was looking at a high def 42" TV complete with a PC input yesterday. It would be nice to view the panoramas on such a beast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinglma Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Kevin As Ralph says its a custom viewer (created with Macromedia Flash 7). The jpg files are apparently low resolution when viewed individually - you need to use the viewer to view any reasonable definition. IanW I agree it would be magnificent but I have my doubts that the panoramas would blow up satisfactorily to such a scale. Regards Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwsmith Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 After so many endorsements in one day I am going to have to buy this book NOW. Is there much on Nieuport, High Wood or Loos? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KF Kelly Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Ralph,Mike Thanks again. I'll get the book and round up a PC somewhere! Regards to all, Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cockney tone Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Oh thanks a bunch you lot!!!!! Just when I thought that I had my Great War book buying under control at last you give this one such a good write up, meaning that I am about to reach for the credit card again! How do I explain yet another one to my dear wife? Answers on a postcard please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Regards, Scottie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John S Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 Is there much on Nieuport, High Wood or Loos? Mike <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mike Not areas I am familiar with so can't offer much other than the following. There is a chapter of about 13 pages called 'The Race to the Sea' with 10 panoramas in which Nieuport is mentioned 9 times. High Wood rates one page with one smallish panorama. Loos is covered in a chapter of about 33 pages called 'The Gohelle Battlefields'. This includes 19 panoramas of which 3 mention Loos. If you would like more detail then send a pm and I will copy out the details of the panoramas for you. Regards John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shinglma Posted 25 October , 2005 Share Posted 25 October , 2005 After so many endorsements in one day I am going to have to buy this book NOW. Is there much on Nieuport, High Wood or Loos? Mike <{POST_SNAPBACK}> To confirm what John S wrote Loos and Nieuport are certainly covered - High Wood less so. This is my impression not only of the book but of the CD Roms as well. Having said that i have only dipped a toe (or two) in to the water today. There is a lot to enjoy. The only drawback I have found so far is that is literally "a weighty tome". I won't be reading it on the tube - thats for sure! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Carter Posted 26 October , 2005 Share Posted 26 October , 2005 Hi all The book arrived today from Amazon UK. Too much to take in in such a short space of time. First reaction though....excellent. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest belgiumpoppies Posted 27 October , 2005 Share Posted 27 October , 2005 I've just bought it today (I must stop buying First World War books) - its fantastic but quite expensive. It was advertised in the Waterstones quarterly magazine...Lots to take in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto_33853 Posted 30 October , 2005 Share Posted 30 October , 2005 Having finally managed to put the CD's away and do some reading, 100 pages so far, I must say that it is a very good book. All in all I am very pleased. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 30 October , 2005 Share Posted 30 October , 2005 I've just bought it today (I must stop buying First World War books) - <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I used to say that It's like " never again " after a booze-up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John W Posted 2 November , 2005 Share Posted 2 November , 2005 Well after reading all about it here, I was forced to felx the plastic via Amazon, What a gem, the CDs alone are worth the £35. It really makes up for the disapointment of the Bradford Pals Book. Now I wonder if I can stich the individual pictures together to print them, Watch this space JOhn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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