Let me reccomend a book. It's very old but packed with aero engine
knowledge. It's historically significant and a good read. Read it and
you'll know more about airplane piston engines than you could imagine there
was to know.

"The High Speed Internal Combustion Engine" by Sir Harry Ricardo.
See: http://www.ricardo.com/ricardoStore/...t.asp?P_ID=149 (1968)

(In this case, "High Speed" refers to MPH and not neccessarilly RPM.)

Sir Harry was a British mechanical engineer whose most significant work was
between WW1 and WW2. He championed the sleeve valve engines that were
developed into the Bristol Centurion but his most historic work was on the
Rolls Royce Merlin. He also worked on the last generation of high power
piston engines like the Napier Nomad and consulted with all the US engine
manufacturers. He is a towering figure in the history of airplane piston
engine development.

His work with high octane fuels, supercharging and high compression ratios
is has been acknowledged as a major contribution to the Allied victory in
WW2.

Bill Daniels