Looking for a spotting book for Christmas (either for yourself, or for someone else)? I decided it’s time to put out details of some of the most popular new titles out recently. Each is linked to the Amazon page so that you can read a review from other people who bought the book.

1. Propliners of the World pt1
Gerry Manning
A fantastic review of the world’s propliners, with a large section on the DC-3. Includes loads of photos and current operators. [Amazon Reviews]

2. Propliners of the World pt2
Gerry Manning
I had to include both parts of this fantastic new collection.  This one looks at many other types, including the Neptune, Orion, AN-2, and water bombers. [Amazon Reviews]

3. Airport Spotting Guides Far East & Australasia
Matt Falcus
OK, so a slight plug here, but this book is great for anyone wishing to travel to the airports in China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries, with full spotting information. [Amazon Reviews]

4. The World’s Top 500 Airports
David Wragg
A comprehensive look at the top 500 airports in the world, with maps, colour pictures and plenty of facts and figures for each. [Amazon Reviews]

5. Time Flies: The Heathrow Story
Alan Gallop
A new book charting the history of the UK’s busiest, most exciting, most controversial and arguably the best spotting airport – Heathrow. [Amazon Reviews]

Which books would you add to the list? Are there any coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Leave a comment below.

With a new year approaching, we’re looking for your suggestions on the must-have gadgets and items for the aviation spotter.

What pair of binoculars or pole has shown the most promise and reliability from the airport hotel or perimeter fence?

Are you using SBS or Radarbox?

Which books are perfect companions for your trips, or ideal for keeping track of the aircraft you’ve seen?

And finally, which camera gets your shots on Airliners.net every time?

We’ll take some of the better gadgets and give them a full feature in future posts here on the blog, so you can read all about them. We’ll also be featuring reviews of new items as and when we hear of them so you can be best informed.