Has anyone seen copies of David Wardale's "The Red Devil and Other Tales from the Age of Steam" for sale lately? I understand it's notoriously hard to find, just trying to determine if it's even available at all and what kind of $$$ it's fetching. It is a book that my collection has been lacking for a long time.



Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a safe, steamy and successful 2012!

Probably your best bet is to try UK and Australian used bookstores. I don't think more than 10 of us yanks were crazy enough to try to get copies of our own. I've had mine now for about 10 years or more.

dave

Make that eleven of us. I still read it quite often, and, on occasion, even understand some of it. It isn't light railfan reading; its the steam railroading fraternaty's version of Albert Pikes "Morals and Dogma". Is is a very, very worthy addition to any technical library.

I was asking around in the UK for a copy resently for someone and there are none going, new or second hand. My contacts say it is also very unlikly that Dave Wardale can be perswaded to have another edition printed even as we know there is a demand. If you have a copy you are very lucky

Goodheart Videos, at one point, quietly dropped mention that they had an inventory of these books; I have no idea if they still have any (if they do, they're not admitting it on their website currently, though I know the page still lurks hidden on their website somewhere):

http://www.goodheartvideo.com/

And if you get one, have one held with my name on it as a finder's fee.

Alexander- I used to get a lot of inquiries from people looking for the book and Goodheart was one of the last outfits with any in stock. IIRC, Goodheart sold out of their copies a long time ago.

Tim- The 5AT Project website has a good many pages from the book reproduced on their website (with Mr. Wardale's permission). You can access them here:

http://5at.co.uk/index.php/references/p ... -book.html

Make that 13, since both me and my father have copies of it. We bought them new about 7 years ago from David Wardale, but I don't know of any more being made.

Well, make my copy #14 in the USA.
Purchased in 2000 via book store in Australia that I think Mr. Odom put me in touch with at the time.
Used email to convey Credit Card information and shipping.
Looking back, boy was that dumb. But I wanted the book.
All was safe.

I bought mine several years ago from Goodheart.

Another book that is still listed there and will become just as impossible/rare is the English translation of La Locomotive à Vapeur.

Steve

p.s. Sandy, you may borrow but must return my copies!

#16 (a first edition) is on my shelf then.

Don't build or rebuild a steamer without it!

This book is now down to the odd one on a shop book shelf or second hand. The stock of Porta's book of papers at Camden is limited. The next book of interest will be by Phil Girdlestone and is being worked on.

That's good news about Phil's book.

While not as comprehensive as "The Red Devil...", a lot of information on Wardale's work and thoughts on steam improvements can be found at the 5AT website at:

http://www.5at.co.uk/

Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but I thought folks may want to know that I picked up what apparently was the last copy Goodheart Productions had in stock.

Tom at Goodheart gave me a very reasonable price. Not a first edition (this is from the 2002 publication...) but signed by Wardale himself.

Only took me a few years to find one...

Can I borrow it when you're done with it? <:-D

(That'll take about a year.)

(Seriously, I owned TWO copies over the years, one stolen along with other things in a car break-in and one "lost" somewhere else, both before I got halfway through........)

Tim- I'm very glad you were able to find a copy. I still remember receiving my copy when it first came out and leafing through it while repeatedly going "WOAH!" until I thought my wife was going to make me put it up.

Do you know if there are any siginficant differences in the 2nd edition (new material for instance)?