The blurb says that this classic reference work was 'years in the making', and I can well believe it. It is definitely going to be the standard work on the subject, and I find it difficult to think that anyone will find any errors in it, although all the very knowledgeable people out there are going to have a field day trying! The author has acknowledged the assistance of all the experts I have ever heard of, and is certainly an authority himself.

However there are problems associated with being definitive on this subject; although two colours - Protective Colourings No 10 and No 12 - were officially decided upon, because they were produced by different manufacturers, using different pigments and sometimes careless mixing, the end result varied. And of course, when the paint arrived at Squadron level, it was usually applied by an idle looking rigger who failed to avoid his Flight Sergeant's eye! This is not meant as a criticism of the book, but does mean that colours varied. Also to be remembered is that colour photography was in its infancy, and that black and white pictures, while good for markings, do not help at all with colours. Indeed many of the pictures in this book are substandard, but as the author says, early cameras, war time film, and the fact that cameras were forbidden on Active Service do not help. He is to be commended for giving us many new and previously unpublished photographs.

To use the book is simplicity itself. It starts with an Introduction to various markings, moves on to training aircraft, experimental Camouflage schemes, and then deals with Squadron markings numerically by Squadron number. The second half of the book has coloured illustrations by Bob Pearson (mainly side views with occasional top ones), culminating with some gloriously polychromatic flying boats. I like the story of the beginning of this: two bored pilots on a dud day at Great Yarmouth decided that their boat could do with brightening up like the German fighters they had heard about. So they painted it 'for a bit of a lark'. Quickly followed by other crews, it was soon realised that this painting up had great operational merits - recognition in the air between boats, and making them more visible if forced down on the water.

The text itself is brief, but the captions to the over 800 b/w photographs and 150 colour profiles are excellent. No serious student of World War I or model maker can afford to miss this book.