In addition to editing and publishing the Windmillers’ Gazette, T. Lindsay Baker and Christopher Gillis have written books dealing specifically with water-pumping windmills, wind-electric generators, and the history of windmill use.
American Windmills: An Album of Historic Photographs
An art book for which the subject matter is historic windmill photographs, this volume presents 179 stunning duotone reproduced images of windmills in a wide range of settings and uses. They appear not only on ranches, but also alongside railroads, in industry, and even in urban places. The images convey a treasure trove of Americana: sod houses on the Great Plains, factory workers in the Midwest, and women in bustle dresses taking in the landscapes from atop windmill towers. Authored by T. Lindsay Baker and published by the University of Oklahoma Press, 168 pages, softbound.
Available for US $24.95.
A Field Guide to American Windmills
Now in its fourth printing, this book presents the first ever documented history of the evolution, manufacture, and use of water-pumping windmills in North America. It combines this with an illustrated identification guide to over one hundred of the most common windmill varieties. Some enthusiasts call this the “Bible of antique windmills,” and its hefty size of 516 pages with 376 illustrations makes this volume weigh almost five pounds. If you ever wanted to learn about windmills, this is the book to answer your questions. Authored by T. Lindsay Baker and published in 1985 by the University of Oklahoma Press, 516 pages, clothbound, with 376 illustrations.
Available for US $95.00.
Blades in the Sky: Windmilling Through the Eyes of B.H. “Tex” Burdick
This book presents the story of the windmill erection crews working in the desert Southwest of the United States in the 1920s through the 1940s. The book features forty-eight historic photographs by B.H. “Tex” Burdick, whose Burdick & Burdick Company of El Paso, Texas, became one of the largest windmill distributors in the United States in the years between the world wars. The text, drawn from extensive interviews with Burdick and one of his erectors, Harry Clifford, details the lives of the men who erected and maintained windmills in the harsh desert country using their own wits and muscle as their principal tools. This is a book which places a human face on windmills, as readers learn about the lives of Burdick, his company employees, rancher customers, farmers, and even Burdick’s bird dog, Jerry. Tex Burdick’s photographs alone make this book worth the purchase price. Authored by T. Lindsay Baker and published in 1991 by Texas Tech University Press, 123 pages, softbound, 48 illustrations.
Available in reprint for US $20.00.
The 702 Model Windmill: Its Assembly, Installation, and Use
A hands-on manual for the assembly, installation, and use of the 702 Model windmill, the most common water-pumping windmill in North America. Includes dozens of never-before-published illustrations and drawings of these windmills, first introduced in 1933 and still being sold around the world. Originally written more than two decades ago to be distributed with these mills, this manual was published by the American Wind Power Center in 1999 and has been updated and reprinted ever since. It includes 80 pages, paperbound, with over 75 illustrations. Spiral-bound edition lays flat when opened.
Available for US $24.95.
A Guide to United States Windmill and Wind Engine Patents 1793-1950
A first-ever guide to patents issued by the United States government for wind machines from the 1790s through 1950. The chronological guide includes patent date, patent number, brief description of the invention, name of patentee, and place of residence of the patentee, together with a name index to inventors and the numbers issued for their patents. With this guide users anywhere in the world can access drawings and specifications for individual patents by patent number from the Internet website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The guide serves as a key to the vast amount of information on wind machines available in U.S. patents. This book, authored by T. Lindsay Baker, was published in England by the International Molinological Society in 2004.
Available for US 20.00.
Windpower
This book provides an historic overview of the development of wind-electric power, from the earliest days of adding generators to mechanical windmills to advances in purpose-built machines. The reader is introduced to the early manufacturers of small wind-electric generators, government wind energy research programs, and development of large landside and offshore wind turbines during the 1900s and early 2000s. This 144-page book, which was authored by Christopher Gillis and published by Schiffer Publishing in 2008, includes 145 illustrations.
Available for US 25.00.
Still Turning: A History of Aermotor Windmills
The Aermotor Company, which set up operations in Chicago in 1888 by offering a standard all-metal constructed windmill, rapidly became the preeminent manufacturer within this once vibrant American industry. This book offers a rich account of the company’s founders, products, ups and downs, and status as the last U.S.-produced windmill on the market today. Authored by Christopher Gillis and published in 2015 by Texas A&M University Press, the book includes 104 illustrations spanning Aermotor’s more than 125-year history.
Available for US 35.00.
Wind Energy Revolution
A first-of-its-kind comprehensive history of the evolution of small wind-electric systems over the past 120 years. This book particularly examines the efforts by inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs to develop wind generators for use at homes, farms, and ranches following the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo. Authored by Christopher Gillis and published in 2023 by Texas A&M University Press, the 135-page hardbound book includes nearly 200 illustrations.
Available for US 55.00.