"... a quality book, using paper that shows the photos and profiles in excellent detail. The glossary will help the non-aviation-oriented reader. Given the strong research and citation, this book will be useful to many contemporary historians." - The Journal of the Air Force Historical Foundation

Long-ranged maritime reconnaissance aircraft had been a part of British wartime strategy since the First World War in the form of flying boats. During the Second World War, the flying boats were increasingly replaced by land-based aircraft, such as the American Lend-Lease Flying Fortresses and Liberators. After the war, these aircraft were replaced by a purpose-built aircraft, the Avro Shackleton, which traced its ancestry through the Lincoln and Lancaster all the way back to the early Second World War bomber, the Manchester.

The Avro Shackleton comprehensively describes this long road of development, as well as providing detailed technical descriptions of the aircraft and its weaponry, rare photographs, and accurate color profiles. The aircraft is compared and contrasted with its post-war piston-engined counterparts. Its former use with the air forces of the United Kingdom and South Africa is described in detail, as are the current survivors, especially an MR.2 (WR963) in the United Kingdom and an AEW.2 (WL790) in the United States.