The history of Škoda cars from 1905 to the present, Jiří Dufek, Jan Králík

Another in a series of works by the renowned author deals with motorcycle history again, this time against the backdrop of World War I. It is published at a time when a hundred years have passed since its course, and the consequences of which fatally influenced the further development of all sectors in Europe. The book is not a historical study of the war, but has the ambition to present the role of motorcycles and the soldiers who served with them in the war. Motorcycles in the Great War performed a number of specific tasks. In addition to the very important courier service, they also served in ambulance and reconnaissance services. Armies used motorcycles on almost all battlefields, but the largest number was on the Western Front on the side of the Allies. The book introduces readers to individual variants of military machines, technical details, a detailed description of the most used models and the history of the brands represented. The publication brings a lot of interesting information not only to our regular fans of motorcycle history, but should also appeal to fans of military history and militaries in general.

Another part of the extensive work of the author and historian. Already on the page with the contents, the reader will find out that in a sector of only seven letters in alphabetical order, there were 72 motorcycle brands operating in our republic. Small locksmith workshops that produced a single motorcycle or applied a drive unit to a bicycle frame are also captured. Rarely preserved materials have been enriched here with high-quality processing, from graphic preparation to the selection of materials used. The publication will once again significantly advance detailed knowledge of the history of motorcycle production. Libor Marčík's representative publications are always a suitable gift for all motorists, regardless of age or focus.

The author has compiled the history of the development and production of four-cylinder engines for motorcycles from the first preserved types. After a three-page introduction to the subject, there is the first of the structurally interesting motorcycles with a four-cylinder engine, where we also have a proud world first: the Laurin & Klement with an in-line four-cylinder engine made in Austria-Hungary. From a chronological perspective, various design directions are interesting, often avant-garde, but also some less fortunate ones, which were often limited by the possibilities of workshop processing. The theoretical idea of the designer was timeless, but the appropriate technology had not yet been produced. Detailed technical descriptions of another twenty-five structurally interesting motorcycles of often no longer existing production brands will certainly interest readers of all age groups.