Anodised Aluminium Cap Badge Book

[Mike B]

Chris
Your book reviews show the absolute delight of your audience - and that audience far exceeds just the anodised badge collector. There is so much new information in this book and its appendices that it is simply an ESSENTIAL addition to any serious badge collectors library. As mentioned previously - It is not a question of thinking about whether you can afford this book - it is more a question of whether you can afford to be without it. If this book ever goes out of print - I can only imagine what price copies will be exchanging hands for. The advice to fellow enthusiasts must be - get your copy now! ... I am sure you will treasure it as a truly valuable reference.
Regards
Mike

[hagwalther]

Hi Thomas, William, Ry and Mike.

Thanks for all the great reviews and William, all those photos of the book with your comrades in Afghanistan are quite superb - the guy with the AK47, the blokes of the truck with the Russian version of a GPMG, the cook and the chap with the head dress were amazing. The camel shot too and that field of poppies... Not yours I suspect though.

Obviously speaking from a position of 'conflict of interest' I have to say that most of the info contained in its pages is unique to the publishing world and in many cases does flow back to pre A/A days. What I discovered in the archives of Kew, IWM, National Army Museum, Royal Armouries et al. was, to me at least, unheard of and in many cases a real eye opener. I dare to suggest that many others will also agree. For example, I had never heard of the work involved for the new Royal Tank Regiment cap badge in A/A (never completed) the use of the Wessex Brigade badge for the Gloucestershire Regiment, the dud TAVR III badges knocked out in the 1980's and literally hundreds of other pieces of information that, due to the official references involved, have to be taken as absolute fact.

The book has been criticized, by some, as being too expensive. I will admit that when shipped to UK the postage does slap a high cost to the overall package. This though is something I can do nothing about except try and reduce cost of shipping by negotiating a discount rate with NZ Post and taking a hit in my own pocket which I did and still do.

However, this publication took about 7000 hours of work to create with costs that included flights to the UK from New Zealand, cost of accommodation in UK, computer publishing software, hardware, camera and lens costs, printing and shipping etc. etc. If you take the view of the book price as being an example of facts versus GBP what you are left with is, in my opinion, an absolute bargain. Blowing my own trumpet here but you 'aint going to get a more factual book on the subject of British Army cap badges and collecting for the price involved.

The other thing to consider is that every week on eBay collectors continue to buy dud, unofficial badges. I know cos I watch the duds being auctioned off to collectors who should really know better. Believe me, at the end of the day, this book will not only save the collector money but will also get them talking about what they, as customers, really deserve from the dealers out there. I will never understand why established collectors would rather spend, and continue to spend, truck loads of money on a pile of fakes rather than a part with a far smaller sum to obtain a quality publication which will prevented them from wasting their money in the first place. Madness.

Anyway, enough of me rambling on...

Best wishes to all!!!

Chris

[hagwalther]

Hi Guys,

More of Williams images of the book 'In Action' can be seen on my eBay ad at:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=200909543305

Scroll down to the bottom of the ad.

Oh, and there are a few more pages of the book on display too!

Regards

Chris

[hagwalther]

Hi Guys,

New Zealand post are going to rise postage prices (substantially) on on all parcels leaving NZ. They are also going include the current USA postal zone into the UK/European postal zone making it a double wammy of postage increases for American readers.

However, I have decided to absorb the price increase though so don't fret but it would be of great help to me for those thinking of purchasing to do so before July when the increases come into effect.

Many Thanks!!!

Regards

Chris

[2747andy]

I've also got an unopened copy here in the UK if anyone wants to collect or arrange pickup?

Andy

[norfolk regt man]

Originally Posted by hagwalther

Hi Thomas, William, Ry and Mike.

Thanks for all the great reviews and William, all those photos of the book with your comrades in Afghanistan are quite superb - the guy with the AK47, the blokes of the truck with the Russian version of a GPMG, the cook and the chap with the head dress were amazing. The camel shot too and that field of poppies... Not yours I suspect though.

Obviously speaking from a position of 'conflict of interest' I have to say that most of the info contained in its pages is unique to the publishing world and in many cases does flow back to pre A/A days. What I discovered in the archives of Kew, IWM, National Army Museum, Royal Armouries et al. was, to me at least, unheard of and in many cases a real eye opener. I dare to suggest that many others will also agree. For example, I had never heard of the work involved for the new Royal Tank Regiment cap badge in A/A (never completed) the use of the Wessex Brigade badge for the Gloucestershire Regiment, the dud TAVR III badges knocked out in the 1980's and literally hundreds of other pieces of information that, due to the official references involved, have to be taken as absolute fact.

The book has been criticized, by some, as being too expensive. I will admit that when shipped to UK the postage does slap a high cost to the overall package. This though is something I can do nothing about except try and reduce cost of shipping by negotiating a discount rate with NZ Post and taking a hit in my own pocket which I did and still do.

However, this publication took about 7000 hours of work to create with costs that included flights to the UK from New Zealand, cost of accommodation in UK, computer publishing software, hardware, camera and lens costs, printing and shipping etc. etc. If you take the view of the book price as being an example of facts versus GBP what you are left with is, in my opinion, an absolute bargain. Blowing my own trumpet here but you 'aint going to get a more factual book on the subject of British Army cap badges and collecting for the price involved.

The other thing to consider is that every week on eBay collectors continue to buy dud, unofficial badges. I know cos I watch the duds being auctioned off to collectors who should really know better. Believe me, at the end of the day, this book will not only save the collector money but will also get them talking about what they, as customers, really deserve from the dealers out there. I will never understand why established collectors would rather spend, and continue to spend, truck loads of money on a pile of fakes rather than a part with a far smaller sum to obtain a quality publication which will prevented them from wasting their money in the first place. Madness.

Anyway, enough of me rambling on...

Best wishes to all!!!

Chris

Hi Chris, what a great book, have just had a quick look at it at Robin Hodges.

[hagwalther]

Originally Posted by norfolk regt man

Hi Chris, what a great book, have just had a quick look at it at Robin Hodges.

Hi Norfolk Regt Man,

Thanks, I think it went down well with Robin Hodges too!!!

Let me know if I can be of any help with book, A/A badges etc.

Regards

Chris

[hagwalther]

By the way - the time taken to write the book was about 5000 hours not 7000 as I previously specified. Typo mistake.

Still took bleedin' ages though!

Regards

Chris

[Mike_2817]

Sorry Chris, But I for one will not be buying your book, as it is simply to detailed in a very narrow area of collecting, and my research into my area of collectin (RAOC/RLC) is fairly complete (with a little help from yourself) and compared to Robin Hodges book is a tad on the expensive side for me before you add the postage. I do not own an expensive reference library as it is by the way, and I have lost count of the hours I have spent (and many others here I am sure) on research for personal interest without thought of reward.

[hagwalther]

Originally Posted by Mike_2817

Sorry Chris, But I for one will not be buying your book, as it is simply to detailed in a very narrow area of collecting, and my research into my area of collectin (RAOC/RLC) is fairly complete (with a little help from yourself) and compared to Robin Hodges book is a tad on the expensive side for me before you add the postage. I do not own an expensive reference library as it is by the way, and I have lost count of the hours I have spent (and many others here I am sure) on research for personal interest without thought of reward.

Crikey Mike.

Never though it would be knocked back for being too detailed!

It does cover a pretty important genre of cap badges covering over 50 years of development and release. Covering 360 badges within 655 pages I don't think can be thought of as being within a 'narrow area'.

Yes, it is more expensive than Robin Hodges but it is a totally different book and I don't think the two can really be compared.

Er, Mike, have you actual seen a copy of Anodised Aluminium: The 'No Bull' Cap Badge of the British Army?

Regards

Chris

PS By the way - I don't think I told you everything...

[Mike_2817]

Yes I have, and I do have other sources of information.

By "very narrow area of collecting" I mean Annodised Badges, and I collect in every area of Militara related to my Corps of service.

Indeed they are differant books, but its how they are produced, not the content.

Had you considered a UK distributer for example?

You cannot please everyone Chris and I am not alone in having a very narrow field of Research & Collecting...

[hagwalther]

Originally Posted by Mike_2817

Yes I have, and I do have other sources of information.

By "very narrow area of collecting" I mean Annodised Badges, and I collect in every area of Militara related to my Corps of service.

Indeed they are differant books, but its how they are produced, not the content.

Had you considered a UK distributer for example?

You cannot please everyone Chris

Hi Mike,

Not sure if collecting anodised aluminium cap badges can be defined as 'narrow'.

However, I'm also unsure how you can compare my book with Hodges. My book covers the entire facet of A/A cap badges while Hodges covers all insignia of Regiment/Corps of the mid 1990's. The scope and therefore the content and production of both book is totally different.

Still, Eh...

Regards

Chris

[William]

Originally Posted by Mike_2817

... I have lost count of the hours I have spent (and many others here I am sure) on research for personal interest without thought of reward.

Me too!

I didn't realize we could get any reward, other than personal satisfaction and enjoyment?

Cheers

[hagwalther]

Hi Guys,

I have added a new page to my web site:

www.aacapbadges.com

at:

www.aacapbadges.com/chaptercontents.html

This page gives a quick insight into each of the book's chapters and appendices covering all aspects of the A/A cap badge genre.

Hopefully it will be of interest to all.

Regards

Chris

[Destro1918]

My copy arrived after only 5 days, This is the type
of book will be refered to in years to come as the 'Bible' for
AA badges.

Thanks for a 1st Class book & service.

Regards
Steve