Comparison: Squadron Signal P-47 Thunderbolt in action (book 1208 vs 10208/50208)

Well this is interesting. I'm continuing to contrast the various editions of Squadron Signal books as I get them, in cases where there was an updated edition. This exercise is to help both myself and other collectors know when it's worth getting both editions or if there's no real reason to get both except for completeness.

Sometimes the update is exactly the same as the original release except for several new pages of material. In these cases, you really only need the updated version. Last post, I found that the A-4 Skyhawk Walk Around editions (5541 vs 25041/65041) had an overlap of about 85% of the material, but as both books are the same number of pages, the editors omitted some of the original content to make room for new content. I didn't always agree with the choices made for the updated edition, but mostly they were the same book.

It appears that early updates in the "in action" series were incremental add-ons of pages. More recent updates seem to have more changes. Today I'm looking at P-47 Thunderbolt in action, book 1208 from 2007, versus book 25041(softcover)/65041(hardcover) from 2014. And in this case, collectors, I would recommend buying both books. 

The books do have some duplication of content, but that's mostly in the diagrams and charts. The most obvious differences:

• The authors of the books are different (Larry Davis for 1208, and David Doyle for the 2014 edition). 
• The updated edition has eighty-eight pages to the earlier version's sixty.
• The books feature different paintings for both front and back covers although all four appear to be from the prolific Don Greer, very much a household name for Squadron books. I love the art, so I'd get both editions just for that, but the differences continue.
• There's only a minimal duplication of the photos. Doyle appears to have taken pains to use different pictures than Davis, even when the photos might be similar and of the same version of the plane. 
• Much of update's extra pages cover other experimental variants of the Thunderbolt.
• The update has a higher number of color photos.
• There is some overlap in text content. Doyle has reworded much of it in his edition and often will reduce the amount of text provided for each variant of the P-47. Compensating for this, however, he has added many more photos and captions.

The books are different enough that a detailed comparison would be painstaking and unproductive. The main differences are sufficient to justify getting both books.