Book review: The Austrian M1 Steel Helmet by Oliver C. Dorrell

 

A first-rate read

Oliver C. Dorrell sheds some much-needed light on the often overlooked, and always fun to collect, Austrian family of M1-type helmets.

There are many helmet books out there, and a precious few that I find of this caliber.  Dorrell approaches the subject with what seems to be both affection and scholarship; both of these are all too often missing from the usual stable of such books.

The art direction of this book is superior, richly illustrated with excellent photographs, drawings, and charts. Dorrell provides observation rather than conjecture, which is refreshing in this hobby.  His approach is the "walk-around" style of presentation.  His observations of each iteration of the Austrian M1 are clear, concise,,nearly complete.

He surprised me.  My first stop, with any helmet reference book, are the final pages - where the sources should be.  For some reason, all too frequently, collectors allow the so-called "experts" to make unsubstantiated claims, providing neither citations nor bibliography.  Dorrell, provides both bibliography and references.  Though I would have preferred citations, Dorrel relies heavily on his own observations, approaching the subject as a fellow enthusiast rather than a self-anointed guru.

The Austrian M1 family of helmets represent a group that too often go unnoticed by collectors, which is a shame as they are so interesting and so representative of the post-war/Cold War era in Europe, Dorrell explores every detail, compares every component, and seems to leave no stone unturned in his summary of these interesting helmets...and he provides the reader with many, many examples.

This is a solid piece of reference material, and a boon for both novice and advanced collector.  I'm very happy to have this volume on my helmet bookshelf, it is informative, pretty to look at, and an altogether very useful book.

Let's see more of this and less of the helmet porn that passes for authoritative reference books filled with beautiful photos and unsubstantiated conjecture.

I really like this very worthwhile book, and I highly recommend it.

I'm hopeful that we'll see more from this collector.

Don't be a dick

Goodness gracious, to look at some of the helmet collecting sites, it often seems that many of the members have wet diapers.

Novices are often berated by self-styled "experts" for asking fundamental questions about helmets.

"Yeah, but..." counter the experts as they qualify their bullying - pronouncing that before a novice asks questions, they should do ample research before troubling the experts with such fundamental questions.  Sadly, the I've never seen a moderator call out such bullying.

Another thing that bugs me (uh-oh...is this turning into a rant?)  are the guys who shout "fake" at every opportunity, without giving any explanation for their reaction.

One guy pronounced a helmet as fake, and when the original poster asked him what he based his opinion on, the response was:

"Because it's fake."

My personal policy regarding the forums is that if I have nothing to add to the conversation, I say nothing.  When I do make a comment, and someone wants to bicker about it, I remain aloof.

The forums exist for three reasons:

1. to show off your cool helmets

2. to get information about cool helmets.

3. to have fun

What is there in any of that to get one's panties in a bunch?

What are your experiences in this regard? share in the comments.

I gear this site toward the novices, and all questions are welcomed.  You can always email me at:  museumofamerica@myactv.net.  I'd love to "talk helmets" with you.

Stay enthusiastic and keep having fun.

Mannie