In this article, I will talk about technical and informational resources that I have found helpful. Part two will deal with advertising. If you want to repair your own radios then technical resources are a necessity. If you simply want to understand how they work or how to differentiate between simple and complex chassis, you will need some kind of reference material with that kind of information.
Technical resources can also provide accurate dating information.
If you collect tubes or related paraphernalia, older catalogs and texts are priceless. For the basic library I recommend the following books. Most of these books are available either from AES or from a local used book store. Many times these hooks and others like them can be found at estate and yard sales. In the past couple of years, I have found many copies of Beitman's at yard sales for a couple of bucks a piece.