As the nation that conceived the first tank more than a hundred years ago, Britain has a long and fascinating series of tank designs to its credit. Despite a period of apathy from the relevant authorities about the value of tanks, which led to its grateful reliance on American-made models during the Second World War, Britain bounced back to become an important innovator once again - notably with the development of the still-secret Chobham armour for the 1980s. In addition to the outstanding successes of British tank design, there were many unsuccessful designs along the way. The sheer quantity of proposals, prototypes and production models is bewildering to all but the non-specialist, and yet fascinating to those who persevere in their search for information. The Complete Catalogue of British Tanks therefore aims to make the essential information available in readily digestible form, as well as to suggest further sources of information for those who wish to take their interest a stage further. Completed with useful Appendices about the variety of engines used in British tanks, and about the multiple main weapons that have been employed, this book will be a rapid-reference standby for anyone with an interest in the story of these armoured fighting vehicles.

James Taylor has been writing about motoring history since the 1970s; he has written well over 100 books and spent ten years as the editor of Land Rover Enthusiast magazine. He has written very widely for both magazines and books on motoring subjects but has specialized in the history of Rover cars and Land Rovers. He has owned four Range Rovers as well as a variety of other cars and continues to write for the motoring press both at home and abroad. His previous books include Rover V8 - The Story of the Engine, Factory-Original Ford Capri Mk1, Factory-Original Mercedes SL, Factory-Original Aston Martin DB4/5/6 and Factory-Original Mini Mk1 & Mk2. James lives in rural Oxfordshire with his wife and the younger two of his four children, surrounded by books about cars, and usually with something old and interesting in his garage.