Reviews

Twenty Turbulent Years
The transformation of Britain’s bus industry, 1980-2000

From Buses, August 2022

“Both authors are transport journalists who covered many of the developments as they happened. Brown ... once again provides key statistics, hard facts and sometimes ironic commentary to distill the mass of information into a coherent story. Rowlands complements the technical skill of his photography with an eye for a good composition, so the pictures often convey a palpable sense of buses at work and in motion ...

“As with previous Fawndoon books, it is presented to a high visual standard…

“This book succeeds on at least two levels. It is a nostalgic reminder of the recent past, and will surely also be one of the essential reference volumes on many enthusiasts’ and industry professionals’ book shelves.” 

From Classic Bus, August/September 2022

“Peter Rowlands and Stewart Brown have put together a wonderful sweeping panorama ... in this well-designed, well-produced book that paints an excellent portrait of a signficant period for the bus industry.”

From Coach & Bus Week, 23 August 2022

“Two top transport authors have pooled resources to produce what is surely a landmark book covering the British bus industry from 1980 to 2000.”

“... As well as being a highly entertaining read the book is a super piece of reference material.”

London’s Bus Purchases 1946-1994

From Buses, December 2019

“The whole package is produced to the high standard we have come to expect from Stewart Brown’s Fawndoon titles, with quality information ... and readily understandable tables, and is illustrated with carefully chosen colour and black and white photographs digitally restored, where necessary, by Peter Rowlands. It also benefits from the design talents of Helen Swansbourne.

“Some nuggets are just to juicy to ignore. Brown – who worked for the manufacturer a few years later – wonders where the Advertising Standards Authority was in 1976 when Leyland claimed in a brochure publicising its new Titan double-decker that its noise levels inside and out were the same as ‘those lovely quiet electric trolleybuses’ of 20 years earlier.”

From Classic Bus, February/March 2020

“This book is laid out neatly, clearly and stylishly, making it easy and interesting to read.

“There are plenty of good pictures plus many other illustrative material. Brilliant!”

Glasgow’s Buses

 From Buses, October 2018

“This masterful examination of the buses and trolleybuses of Glasgow Corporation Transport and its public transport successors is written with wit and authority, revealing many facts for the first time, and is illustrated and designed to an exceptionally high standard.

 From Classic Bus, October/November 2018

“This is an excellent book with a thoroughly interesting story to tell, and that story is told extremely well and in an engaging manner.

“It is full of atmosphere and flavour, and has a true sense of time and place. Stewart’s great affection for the city of Glasgow and its buses shines through on every page.

“It is beautifully designed … with care lavished on every picture to make them all look their best, and every page is a treat.”

Advancing in a Forward Direction

 From Buses, August 2017

“The cover price of this book may be high, but the depth and breadth of information and the quality of design and picture reproduction justify every penny.

“The bulk of the story is related in bite-sized chunks, listing vehicles bought new alphabetically from AEC to Volvo, all supported by statistics and specification tables and illustrated with a wealth of colour and black and white photographs.

“This, then, is a tour de force of the big picture and such fine detail, of what happened when and, crucially why.”

 From Classic Bus, August/September 2017

“What really sets this book apart is the excellent design and layout. What could otherwise be a dry and unappealing list is enticing, seductive and alluring. Good typography and clean but exciting layouts draw you in and make the well-researched information seem almost a bit racy.

“This is a reference work par excellence, a damn good read and a joy to browse through. Let’s have more like this.”

 From PSV Circle editorial, August 2017

“The bulk of the book is devoted to vehicles purchased new … with a selection of photographs and a commentary.

“The latter is extremely informative and reflects the author’s long experience within the industry, with some very interesting snippets explaining why some purchases were made and just how wise decisions turned out to be. Copies of various pieces of publicity material from both manufacturers and operators complement the text.”

Scotland’s Buses in the 1960s

 From Buses, May 2016

“Stewart Brown … knows the Scottish bus industry like the backs of his hands and has used that knowledge to create a cohesive story ...

“A well-chosen selection of uniformly well-reproduced photographs, accompanied by informative – and well-written – text in themed chapters, all packaged to a high standard of graphic design with tickets, maps, brochures and extracts of timetables complementing the many and varied vehicles ...

“After 50 years, colour film deteriorates, but transport writer Peter Rowlands has used his Photoshop skills to restore these digitally to original standards, while Rowlands’s partner, Helen Swansbourne, has applied her design talents to make this a book one should be proud to display on the mythical coffee table we are all supposed to possess at a prominent place in our homes.” 

 From Route One, April 2016

“The Whisperer is always game for a little nostalgia and he’s rather taken with this new illustrated commentary of Scotland’s buses in the 1960s, from new publisher Fawndoon Books ...

“The majority of pictures are by Harry Hay, who spent a lifetime immersed in the industry and wielded his relatively basic photographic equipment to astonishingly good effect. The pictures have been improved with digital enhancement, bringing the colours of the time to life despite their age.”

 From Bus and Coach Buyer, 29 April 2016

“[What makes] this publication special is the photography of the late Harry Hay. They are superb pictures … and have been painstakingly photoshopped by Peter Rowlands to bring out the magnificence of the colours in the liveries and the details of both vehicle and environs...

“The text and captions add context and detail lifting this beyond a simple picture album to a lavish social history document...

“At £30 it won’t be a spur of the moment purchase for most people but this is a quality publication and one to relish and cherish.”

“This new book from Stewart Brown … is first class and takes you on a remarkable, thoroughly enjoyable journey round Scotland in the 1960s.”

 From Classic Bus, April/May 2016

“It builds to a superb appreciation of the subject matter, a great sense of time and place and you learn an awful lot on the way. And it looks superb.”

 From London Transport Museum Friends News, July 2016

“Scotland’s Buses in the 1960s is particularly noteworthy as one of the best pictorial bus books (in my view) ever to be published. Its entirely colour content, which is superbly designed and printed, is a joy to behold. The problem is what will Fawndoon publish next? They have set a standard that in my view is best in class.”

 From Coach & Bus Week, 26 April 2016

“... first class presentation through the page design of Helen Swansbourne, good use of contemporary print material and comprehensive captions create a book that, in this reviewer’s opinion is really rather special.”

“A work of this quality is worth every penny of the £30 cover price and Stewart J Brown and publisher Fawndoon Books should be congratulated on producing a particularly worthy addition to the bookshelf.”