Fires have plagued man for centuries and devices designed to combat them by pumping a stream of water date back to at least the second century B. C. During the Great Fire of London in 1666, fire engines with hand-operated pumps met with little success in trying to contain that conflagration. It was not until the development of better pumps, combined with the use of flexible hoses, that fire engines began to be truly effective in fighting fires.
Now children and adults alike can enjoy learning about the history of fire engines and have fun coloring at the same time. In this carefully rendered, well-researched coloring book by noted illustrator A. G. Smith, you'll find over 40 detailed, accurate illustrations (including a double-page spread) depicting a parade of fire-fighting vehicles spanning almost 300 years. Among them are a 1731 Newsham fire-engine pump built in England; a hand-drawn jumper reel, ca. 1800; a hand-drawn pumper from the 1830s; a horse-drawn combination, ca. 1890; a hose layer (1911) built for São Paulo, Brazil; a 1933 Ahrens-Fox pumper; a 1962 Mack aerial ladder truck; and many others. Captions identify each fire engine.