The history of aviation in the USSR in the Pre-Patriotic War period is covered nowhere else in the English language with the authority and scholarship of Andersson's Soviet Aircraft and Aviation, 1917-41 . This exhaustive volume spans 360 pages, featuring superb photographs on virtually every one, tables of organization, aircraft serial numbers, deployment, and service, and a full description of every aircraft to see operational deployment with the Aviation Services of the USSR in the years before the War. Indeed, the sheer amount of historical information contained in the work is difficult to describe adequately.
The major sections of the book offer a detailed history and development story for each of the some 100 different aircraft utilized in the USSR from 1917-41. The attention to detail, and factual fidelity of these descriptions is most impressive. Moreover, a basic planform line drawing is offered for most types, along with a table of general specifications. From a specific modeling point of view, there are no color nor markings information provided, nor are any of the profiles rendered in scale. Detail photographs are not the norm, but rather descriptive photos revealing the general arrangement of the machine in question.
One should not be fooled by the "mere" four star rating here-- Andersson's work is an essential resource on the history of Soviet aviation, and absolutely cannot be absent from the collection of any serious Historian of the subject. However, from a modeling point of view, there are some limitations to the information presented therein, so far as pertinent information on kit finish and detail are concerned. Over-all, this work is most highly recommended.