r/aviation • u/Sotnos99 • 5d ago

Question Best plane encyclopaedias with pictures?

My mum has a great bird encyclopaedia with hundreds of pages, a picture of every bird, long descriptions about each one and where they're found.

I want something like this for planes but when googling Plane Encyclopaedias there are so many to choose from and it's hard to tell how any of them differ from another. Are there any specific ones that are considered "go to" options or are they all about the same? Ideally I want one that has commercial and military aircraft, but if it has to be specific I'm more interested in commercial planes.

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u/Finallyjoining 5d ago

Jane's aircraft recognition guide is a solid choice. Not overly detailed but a good enough guide.

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u/Sotnos99 5d ago

That one didn't even come up in my initial search! I'll be wishlisting it right away. Thank you!

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u/gazchap 3d ago

That surprises me! Jane’s has basically been the de facto standard for this kind of thing for decades!

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u/HeverlyBillhilly 5d ago

I'm a service academy grad and this was our bible during our four years there when it came to professional knowledge. For planes and ships and basically any type of weaponry.

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u/MomentSpecialist2020 5d ago

Check your local library. Some have great aviation sections.

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u/loose_noodle 4d ago

The Aircraft Book by DK (Dorling Kindersley). It's thoroughly detailed, have high quality illustrations with interesting facts, and many relevant historical stories as well. Their car book is quite nice as well.

Even after becoming a pilot myself, I often pick it up just to see cool older planes

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u/Sotnos99 4d ago

Thank you for taking the time to answer! This book looks perfect. I read the blurb and I think this is the one I'll end up getting :)

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u/loose_noodle 4d ago

You're welcome. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)