Echoes from the oil country

[Bill MullParticipant @billmull]

I ve heard about a book or series of books called ” echoes from the oil country” telling of life as a jobbing machinist in the Pennsylvania oil fields.

Is it worth a read? I ve had a look about but the only copies I can see are available from the US , the book is reasonably priced but the postage is crazy.

Anyone know of copies from the UK ?

[Bill MullParticipant @billmull]

[clogsParticipant @clogs]

Hi Liam,

try a couple of the seconhand book stores, there was a good 1 in Hitchen, Herts…..

they would put ur request on a list and u just never know it just may turn up……….I think they circulate the request between other book shops…….

I'm looking/waiting for the history of the "Diesel engine from conception – 1918", can only find it in the States….

good luck…..oh, if it's a good read please let me know……..Clogs

[Bill MullParticipant @billmull]

That book is about Clessie Cummins ?
I remember reading extracts from it on Google books.

Another interesting one on diesel technology is ” A Square deal all round”. History of Perkins engines of Peterborough.

[Brian GParticipant @briang]

Hi Liam. Have you tried bookfinder.com **LINK**? It tends to list books from more US bookshops than Abe Books, and is to my mind easier to use. The cheapest 5-volume set I could see was in the UK at £39.35 including shipping, but to try the books out, volume one for example comes from the US at £6.79 plus £3.07 shipping.

I have bought quite a few books from the US via Bookfinder or Abe Books, and don't think I have ever paid much more than £3 for shipping. (Vol. 7 of A History of the British Steam Tram was published as two A4 hardbacks totalling 1008 pages yet only cost £2.79 shipping from Chicago, less than I was charged to post one book from a UK retailer).

The odd thing is, bookfinder.com is also branded as justbooks.co.uk and justbooks.de and all are owned by Abe Books, who are in turn owned by Amazon, who therefore have an effective monopoly on second hand book searches.

Brian

Edited By Brian G on 04/07/2017 09:27:18

[Bill MullParticipant @billmull]

Thanks Guys.
Brian ,I ve found volume 1 on eBay via bookfinder.
Thanks again

[richardandtracyParticipant @richardandtracy]

How about new ones here: **LINK**

As for 'Are they worth a read?' I re-read mine regularly, but they are not everyone's cup of tea. They are a collection of discreet articles that are re-prints from the American Machinist magazine, and are informative & interesting. How Bill Osbourne describes the countryside, the way the machine shops worked and all sorts of anecdotes which can often be classified under a number of general headings like : 'Idiot customers', 'I'm an idiot sometimes', 'No, no, don't do that!' and 'Gremlins'.

I looked up the area he describes. The machine shop no-longer exists, but is remembered in the street name, 'Machinist's Road' and the city of 'Pit Hole' he talks about once or twice was once the area of highest land values anywhere in the US, however the last building in the city was demolished in 1968. Google Earth shows the street layout over a green field.

I thoroughly enjoyed the series.

Regards,

Richard

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