---
product_id: 52759499
title: "The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs"
brand: "nigel cawthorne"
price: "KSh4311"
currency: KES
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/52759499-the-complete-illustrated-encyclopedia-of-the-spitfire-complete-illustrated-encyclopd
store_origin: KE
region: Kenya
---

# The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs

**Brand:** nigel cawthorne
**Price:** KSh4311
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs by nigel cawthorne
- **How much does it cost?** KSh4311 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.ke](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/52759499-the-complete-illustrated-encyclopedia-of-the-spitfire-complete-illustrated-encyclopd)

## Best For

- nigel cawthorne enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted nigel cawthorne brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs

## Images

![The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51gV5IB4hvL.jpg)
![The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51J2V3sFJLL.jpg)
![The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs - Image 3](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51rMJr53RdL.jpg)
![The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire (Complete Illustrated Encyclopd): The History of Britain's Most Iconic Aircraft of World War II, in Over 250 Photographs - Image 4](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q8K+Pe3iL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Shoddy volume
  

*by P***N on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 March 2017*

The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Spitfire by Nigel Cawthorne is neither complete nor encyclopaedic and suffers from numerous inaccuracies. There are some good illustrations (especially less commonly used images of factories and engines). But overall it is a shoddy book. You’re much better off buying Spitfire: The Legend Lives On by Dibbs and Holmes.I have a large library on Second World War aircraft and the Battle of Britain and wanted to add this new volume to my collection. However, before doing so, I should have looked more closely at the main front cover photo (what is that miniature aircraft?) and the authors own biography on Amazon (what is all that stuff about what girlfriends think of his flat and where he goes drinking?).The book is smaller than you expect from an encyclopedia (22x16cm). It is packed with photos, many of them well presented. All books on the theme rehash some of the same old images but this effort does have less commonly seen photographs, especially of factories and engines. But some are inappropriate. (Seriously, what is that mini fighter on the front cover? And why does the section on Spitfire construction start with a photo of a Messerschmitt?)The text is more erratic. First of all, the presentation is bizarre. Whoever copy edited the book got in a real mess with the fonts: some text is extra large and some extra small (almost illegible)! As for content, the layout is not very logical. Starting with pilot quotes from the BoB and then going back to the Spitfire’s design is odd and overall the whole narrative is disjointed. Most of the overly long section on Vickers Armstrong has little to do with Spitfires. I’d have preferred instead a longer, more detailed and better structured section on Variants – surely an encyclopedia of Spitfires needs to be very detailed in describing the different Spitfires.My biggest gripe though is with accuracy. There are errors even in the first few pages which make you question the later text. For example:Page 7: Winston Churchill’s speech about “the Few” was made on 20 August 1940, not on 18 June.Page 24: A photo described as “aircrews of the Battle of Britain” has RAF personnel standing in front of a Spitfire with a four-bladed propeller; such variants didn’t exist in 1940.Page 35: Group Captain Sailor Malan is said to have been “the highest scoring Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain.” Whilst he is undoubtedly a hero who made an impressive tally of kills throughout his career, he was not the top Spitfire ace of the BoB (that was Eric Lock).Overall the book comes across as shoddy, poorly conceived and hurriedly put together – presumably with the aim of cashing in on the 75th anniversary of the BoB in 2015.If you want a true encyclopedia of the iconic British fighter, you would be advised to buy Spitfire: The Legend Lives On by John Dibbs and Tony Holmes.

### ⭐⭐ 







  
  
    She deserves better...
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 November 2015*

Main photo on the cover is a sub-scale replica, why? There are many superb Spitfire images which could have been used. Contains a small amount of interesting stuff but a lot of the text and photo captions are stilted and awkwardly written. The book appears to have been written/edited by someone who loves Spitfires but doesn't know much about them, reads a bit like a rushed O level project.

### ⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Disappointing
  

*by M***T on Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2013*

Much smaller book than I thought it would be and not as detailed as I had hoped.  It was bought as part of a friend's 90th Birthday present who used to fly Spitfires and the book seemed totally inadequate so I had to spend more on other items to go with it.  This book is suited to maybe a teenager or someone who has a passing interest in Spitfires but  not for the connoisseur!

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/52759499-the-complete-illustrated-encyclopedia-of-the-spitfire-complete-illustrated-encyclopd](https://www.desertcart.co.ke/products/52759499-the-complete-illustrated-encyclopedia-of-the-spitfire-complete-illustrated-encyclopd)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Kenya*
*Store origin: KE*
*Last updated: 2026-02-10*