By Tommy H. Thomason
There aren't too many meticulously researched, in-depth books about U.S. Navy airplanes that served before World War II. Dana Bell's Painting the Fleet is one. Steve Ginter has published some in his Naval Fighters Series, including Richard Dann's excellent monograph on the Grumman F2F/F3F, reviewed by Barrett Tillman on Amazon:
Steve
Ginter's "Naval Fighters" series has long been one of the industry
standards, maintaining a consistently high quality of research, writing,
and illustrations. That's certainly true of Richard Dann's latest
contribution, detailing Grumman's prewar biplane fighters, the F2F and
F3F predecessor of the F4F Wildcat.
If anybody wants more
information on the F2F and F3F, he should call Tom Cruise because it
appears to be Mission Impossible. Aside from the authoritative text
covering both designs, Dann includes a micro view of the air frames by
Bureau of Aeronautic's number, tracing the service history and usually
ultimate fate of each. "Rivet counters" will appreciate the close-up
photos, factory drawings, and descriptions of construction and
modifications.
Aside from fleet coverage, the book addresses the
biplane fighters' movie appearances and civilian use. And warbird
enthusiasts will welcome a single-source reference of the examples
preserved in museums across the country.
Dann's latest one for Steve is the equal of his F2F/F3F book: