The Grumman F-14 Tomcat has been celebrated in countless publications, but this new title from Schiffer is a useful and concise guide with an authoritative text by David F. Brown, an author and photo reporter who collaborated with the Newsweek magazine too. He analyzes the glorious career of the Big Cat that spanned more than 30 years all over the continents. The genesis is quite fascinating, based on the failures of the incongruous F6D Missileer and the faulted F-111B. From these failures Grumman picked up the engines and weapons system and put them in a superlative airframe, the most innovative and sophisticated for many years to come. Author Brown then illustrates all the USN squadrons and the Iranian units, describing the rich and articulated career of this impressive fighter that was also developed as an impressive fighter bomber. All the 231 photos are well printed and sharp and are a true celebration for all the Cat fans.Marco De Montis.