Dear reader...
2009 has barely started and it’s already over. Here we are in 2010 ! How time flies when you are busy – too busy perhaps. Once again another year has flown by and we are still hard at it on some book publications that should have been out by now. Work is still ongoing on our books devoted to the Amiot 143 and Bloch 210 and also to the book we have planned on the history of French aviation in Indo-China. We are nonetheless staying positive ! Indeed these titles are not held up for no good reason - research is proving long and difficult because of the distances involved, but at the same time has been incredibly fruitful. That’s all I’m revealing for the moment…
All praise then to our colleague and friend Jean-Marie Gall for his two sumptuous volumes devoted to the Étendard IV. I can only recommend them wholeheartedly, even though –to tell the truth- I’m not really a fan of ‘blow torches’. But these books are simply that good. Although we don’t really do mutual black-slapping at Lela Presse, Jean-Marie really deserves the utmost credit for his work.
Even on the ‘naval’ side of things, delays have cropped up and we still have much to do on the colonial frigates (avisos) and indeed on the Danton class vessels. However our book on the aviso frigates of the ‘Commandant Rivière’ class is now available and once again this is the most complete work we could possibly have done and will bring back a wealth of memories for the numerous veterans of the ‘Royale’. The work on the battleships Iéna and Suffren, which will cover in depth the history of these long serving vessels is proving just as fascinating. Both ships met desperate ends and Philippe Caresse is retracing their history in great detail , from both the technical and operational standpoints. The photo collection he has compiled is quite superb. These more elderly French Navy vessels have never had the attention they warrant which is a great shame and I have to say that it is never too late to widen your interests ! Look out for these volumes, since they will have only limited print runs.
In our mail order sections we have a number of new series and titles to present to you, all of which I am sure you will find interesting and which will more than satisfy your hunger for new information and knowledge in both the maritime and aeronautical fields.
It just remains for me to wish all of our readers a somewhat belated but no less heartfelt very Happy New Year 2010 ! We hope you enjoy the new catalogue and why not go ahead and treat yourself. It is very easy to order via our secure web ordering facility and you can now settle via Paypal or by bank transfer, whichever is easiest for you. Our aim is to serve you as best we can.
Happy reading and all the best for 2010 !
Michel Ledet.
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