Osprey Publishing, in cooperation with The Tank Museum, has published a guide of “the 40 most iconic tanks of the 20^thcentury.” Each of the tanks covered in the guide receives three pages that include a one page history, an extensive list of specifications, two full color drawings and detailed descriptions of each drawing.

Much of the histories will already be known to students of armor, but I did find bits about the covered vehicles that are new to me. The full color drawings are exceptional and show the tanks in a used condition with many covered in crew gear and other equipment. The majority are side profiles, however there are many views from the front or rear quarter. The lists of specifications are fairly extensive for the size of the book and are useful for comparing the different vehicles. Finally, the picture narratives provide additional details on the particular tanks in the drawings.

I found a couple errors on the coverage of the M551 Sheridan and the M60 family, but overall the information appears accurate. This book falls into the class of coffee table books, albeit a very small coffee table, however the drawings are useful for ideas for painting and markings as all now have at least one version available in plastic.

I recommend this book for those readers that would like to know about 40 of the most famous tanks and for those of us that just like tanks.

Thank-you to Osprey Publishing for this review copy.