Anytime, Baby! Hail and Farewell to the U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat Hardcover – October 30, 2006

This is the finest photography I have seen of the F-14 in any book that I have encountered. The pictures are works of art. If you are an F-14 enthusiast, a model maker or just an aviation buff this book is brilliant. The general style and writing in the book is conducted in military vernacular and in the bombastic, joyful spirit that will be familiar for those experienced in the services. Indeed the book is written for the Naval Fighter Fraternity and it reflects this. In so far as this book is pitched it is more of a year book to the last years of the F-14 in the fleet rather than a technical review of the aircraft or a thorough history. However this is not the books purpose so for those wanting tech specs you might want to try something else but as a coffee table book this can't be beat. The only downer is the editor hasn't run his spell checker. There are a few noticeable technical errors but mostly it is just missing words, spelling errors and the odd repeated paragraph that let this down. Nevertheless recommended for those looking for a vibrant photo essay.

Erik Hildebrandt provided some superb photography in his latest book. If your a Tomcat fan this is a must have addition to your book collection. The book is just as fascinating to read as well. The text was co-authored by former F-14 drivers - Dale Snodgrass and Dave Parsons, Cdr. Richard LaBranche and Cdr. James Howe - the last officers to command VF-31, and a few other noteworthy individuals that had a part during the Tomcat's final days. The book includes photo essays of the last few squadrons to use the Tomcat including VF-32, VF-211, VF-11, VF-143, VF-101, VF-213 and VF-31. Erik also included equally impressive photos of the F-18E and F Super Hornet. The F-14 may be gone but the true fighter spirit will live on in the squadrons that flew her. Well Done!

This book features large pics of the Tomcat in the few squadrons that remained after about 2000. There is coverage of how the F-14 adopted Lantirn to become a precision strike airplane after decades as a fighter-only mission. There are some personal reminiscences and even pis of Tomcats being chopped up at the end of its career, as well as the transition to the F/A-18 E and F .The book had an "artsy" style to its layout that I didn't like, and was heavy on pictures and a little light on text for my taste, but as a photographic record of the end of the Tomcat's career, this book does the job.

I was so disappointed when I got this book. I bought it because of those 5 star reviews but actually it's not so good. Comparing to "Tomcat: Bye - Bye Baby" by Dave Parsons/George Hall/Bob Lawson, you will find most photos in this book are overdeveloped and details are blurred. It's not a must-have book for the Tomcat's fans looking for the high quality pictures.

I expected the photographs in this book to be a little more revealing I guess you could say, in terms of never-before-seen shots and with a sort of new originality. Certainly a nice book though and definitely a keeper.

My favorite fighter jet gets another book collection with fantastic stories and photos. I'm ashamed I never got to see her fly...

Tomcats forever . . . Great memories of the most sophisticated Air Superiority Fighter to ever grace the skies.

Excellent collection of large high-quality photography of the beloved Tomcat and related people, aircraft, carriers, etc. it may spend the rest of my life on my coffee table!

As the previous reviewer noted this is truly an excellent visual feast - and an informative read. For someone who has always been interested in the Tomcat, this book informs the reader across many aspects of the Tomcat and its retirement from active service. A wotrhy investment for anyone interested in carrier aviation.

This is a must have book for any fan of the F 14. Loads of beautiful colour pictures of the most iconic Fighter plane.Its a nice chunky book which would look good on any coffee table or book stand.

Anybody who is a fan of the F-14 should get this book. With high quality pictures and high quality paper. It is a fantastic coffee table book. Well recommended to any Tomcat fan and those who have an interest in aviation.

Lots of pictures with a relatively small amount of text for the size of the book (Roughly A3 Landscape). However, many of the pictures in this book are new to me,' I'm an avid fan of this type with a large picture gallery'. Very happy I chose to add this title to my expanding collection of books!

Buy this book. If you only ever buy one book on the mighty Tomcat make sure it's this one. Erik Hildebrandt has produced a masterpiece.