H. Osterwald, Otto Erbe, Henschel-Werkfoto - Stahl wird Kraft ("Strength is Steel", FACTORY PHOTOBOOK) - 1939

SCARCE, HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE FACTORY PHOTOBOOK from 1939 (!) -
by well-known German company "Henschel".

"A Pictorial Work of the Construction of Locomotive Class 23 for the South African Railways" (subtitle).

Heavily illustrated with mono (some full colour) photographic prints, large fold-out schematic of a fully constructed locomotive.

VERY SCARCE TRUE FIRST PRINTING FROM 1939 (!); there was also a second printing one year later, in 1940.

Henschel & Sohn (from 1957: Henschel-Werke) was an engineering, vehicle manufacturing, and armaments group based in Kassel. The company was founded in 1810 as a cannon foundry and for a time was one of the most important locomotive manufacturers in Europe. At various times, it also produced military equipment such as tanks, aircraft engines, aircraft, and guided missiles. The company became particularly well known as a manufacturer of trucks and buses, as well as internal combustion engines, which were produced from 1925 until the 1970s. In the 1960s, the decline of the Henschel Group began; however, numerous successor companies still exist today.

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Detailed captions documenting the construction of the locomotives from the very first stages of work onward.
Included as an appendix is a large-format fold-out plate featuring a sectional drawing of the Henschel 2D1 locomotive, including the tender.

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Henschel & Sohn GmbH, Kassel. 1939. First edition, first printing.

Hardcover in linen with gold lettering to front cover and with golden symbol of Henschel company to the rear cover. 305 x 215 mm. 84 pages. Color photos: H. Osterwald. Monochrome images: Otto Erbe, Cape Town (4), Henschel factory photograph (Dittmar 4, Karbach 73). Printing: H. Osterwald, Hanover. Binding: Wilhelm Eilers Jr., Bielefeld. The coat of arms in blind embossing is the national coat of arms of the Union of South Africa.Design: Eugen Karbach. Text in German.

Condition:
Outside with stain at the top left corner of the front and at the bottom left corner of the rear side (both with no consequence for inside), otherwise just normal trace of use. Inside first blank page with private photo and inscription from 1938 (!), no other previous owner marks, no foxing, the staples in the book (as so often) are rusty, causing a few pages to be loose (as so often); the silk undershirts show signs of wear (as so often). Overall very good condition.

Rare, impressive German factory photobook - hard to find in any condition (i have never seen a perfect copy).