0riginally published in 1981 and jointly edited by David Edgington and Charles Hudson. This must rate as the book most purchased as a first for so many engine enthusiasts over the past 28 years. Many private stationary engine libraries have probably been founded on this book which has recently has its sixth reprint.

The authors had originally agreed that the fifth reprint would be the last but, since Charles Hudson's death, David Edgington felt that a sixth reprint with a suitable eulogy would be a fitting tribute to someone who was a friend to the whole stationary engine movement.

This book, the result of two years research, and especially written for the newcomer to the world of old engines, describes a variety of types and styles of engine by using mainly contemporary illustrations and explains the various principles of operation ranging from hot-tube to compression ignition.