Building the P-51 Mustang: The Story of Manufacturing North American's Legendary WWII Fighter in Original Photos Paperback – December 5, 2011

As of my writing this, I am still only about half finished reading this after receiving it, but can already tell that this is going to be a totally positive review. I am amazed at the amount of the detailed information from the inception of the first ideas of this aircraft, right up through the entire history of its production life with all the variables of design. It is a great honor to be able to put names and faces behind all the hard work that made the P-51 a possibility, and everyone is included in the managerial level, and had it been possible, I believe the author would have included the names of each and every North American Aviation employee that contributed to the making of the Mustang (there is even a picture of the 10,000th Mustang made that was signed by all of the production line workers, then sent overseas!!). An unbelievably detailed view at my most loved fighter plane.

I am not THE collector of Mustang books. I have a unique license plate: P-51 LVR. I do "love" the "cadillac" of the WWII fighters. I also have a collection of books about the Mustang. As the author writes that many good books exist (and some poor ones too), this is a MUST for any Mustang lover/aficionado/fan-atic. Every Mustang-lover has to have this book in the collection. More information than you will ever need about design and production. If you are looking for pictures, they are here. If you are looking for fighter group history and air battles, you must go elsewhere to collect information (like the Osprey series). But since 2010, the publication date of this work, much has been written and researched about the plane. Before 2010, only a few books existed that covered details now presented by Michael O'Leary. Do not pass up this opportunity to buy this book!

Book hits the nail on the head based on the title. The pictures support the text not the other way around. Detailed serial number, contract, mfg. serial number, and NAA model data are linked in several tables in the rear of the book. Great for reference.

A unique and fascinating look at the actual production of the P-51 illustrated with mostly high quality photos taken by factory photographers. The photos are finely reproduced on high quality paper. There's enough detail that even small items in the pictues come to life with a magnifying glass. Very few of these photos have been published elsewhere.The accompanying text highlights the complexity and difficulty of deciding what to build and then building this landmark aircraft. Portions of letters and reports are reproduced to augment the clearly written text.

Loads of photos, documentary artifacts, and some inside stories too. One of O'Learys -- who in his earlier efforts tended toward the sensational 'pop' perspective on aircraft history -- best efforts. Only wish there were more details on Mustang gestation; the world pretty much knows about the success of the D-model onward. As ist is, the book is adequate on the Allison-powered generations, a plus. Could have been longer?

Well, here is just about everything you need to know about the P-51. Phew..so much information and many photos I'd never seen before. As the title says this is written from a manufacturing standpoint (rather than recounting the usual hero missions in wartime) You'll find yourself referring to this book over and over again. I often found myself saying "I never knew that" as I went through it. Not the usual rehash of P-51 books that we see which regurgitate the same old, same old. This is quite different and highly recommended.

My husband is fascinated with aviation. The book Flyboys Flyboys: A True Story of Courage sparked his interest in finding out more about the P-51 Mustang. He loves going to the Reno Air Races and the P-51 Mustang is his favorite airplane. With plenty of time to read during our long Minnesota winters, I purchased Building the P-51 Mustang for him hoping he might enjoy it. He could not put the book down! He learned all sorts of new information about the history and construction of the P-51. He enjoyed the book so much that he is going to share it with his son. As an author Miriam Daughter of Finnish Immigrants, seeing my husband's fascination with the book, I would highly recommend it to other aviation enthusiasts.

This book provides a great deal of insight on the development of the P-51 Mustang from its inception to the end of the war. The author weaves together a very good narrative in both words and photos taken from North American Aviation's archives. The sidebars are both numerous and very interesting providing great depth to the design process, the needs of the war effort, and design engineers.If you are interested in the details of the ground-breaking aircraft, then this is the book for you. Excellent!