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Pre World War 1

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Bacon, Gertrude BALLOONS, AIRSHIPS & FLYING MACHINES - £32.00
Jack's Scientific series, nd (c1905); 18 x 12cm, 125pp, drgs, diags; vg, (cloth & f. cover lettering rubbed, near fine inside.)the majority of this very period little book covers lighter-than-air flying, with some mention of the Wright Brothers & Maxim.  
BN: 23236  
Bacon,Gertrude ALL ABOUT FLYING - £32.00
Methuen 1st 1915; 17 x 11 cms, 115pp, 22 illus; vg.Review of early flying 1903 to 1919.  
BN: 22107  
Berget, Alphonse THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR - Aeronautics, Aviation; History, Theory, Practice. £40.00
Putnams, New York, 2nd English language edn, 1911; 249pp, 48 plates (many different from the 1st edn), 81 diags in text; vg except spinecloth splitting Well illustrated early work describing ballooning, dirigibles (flights & operation) & the early aeroplane types. Also another, 2 plates replaced by photo-copies, some foxing - £25  
BN: 21903  

Berriman, Algernon E.  AVIATION -  An Introduction to the Elements of Flight.  Methuen 1st, 1913; 360pp, 30 plates (some with multiple photos), many diags in text; vg except few pps sl torn at margins. 

£85.00
Comprehensive classic description of the period with many excellent photos, world record list, abstracts on the 1912 Military Trials, the Wright patent litigation, the petrol engine, distribution of pressure on wing sections, chronology & biblio; embossed aircraft picture to front cover; an important period classic.   
BN: 24841  

Brett, R.Dallas  HISTORY OF BRITISH AVIATION 1908-1914 -  Aviation Book Club 2-vol edn, (from Hamilton 1st of 1933); vg . 

£35.00
Excellent, readable description of the early British scene;some line drawings of aircraft; appendices of data on records etc; this is the book that first triggered my interest in pre-WW 1 flying.  
BN: 22109  

Brewer, Griffith & Patrick Y.Alexander  AERONAUTICS; AN ABRIDGMENT OF AERONAUTICAL PATENTS -  Specifications filed at the Patent Office from AD 1815 to 1891.    Taylor & Francis, 1893; 160pp; vg.

£100.00
Scarce  early work. .Some patents illustrated with diags. Blue cloth with gold f.cover design.  
BN: 25325  

Brewer, Griffith  FIFTY YEARS OF FLYING -  Air League of the British Empire 1st, 1946; 170pp, 38 photos; vg (cloth sl chipped & marks/stamps on fep showing previous owners. 

£17.50
Now quite scarce book of reminiscences, mostly from the pioneer period, from balloon ascents in 1891 to travel across the Atlantic in a Fortress in 1941. Foreword by Brabazon.  
BN: 25147  
 Broomfield G.A.  PIONEER OF THE AIR  the life & times of Colonel S.F.Cody   Gale & Polden 1st, 1953; 19 x 13cm, 164pp, 30 photos;  vg.  £15.00
 Now a somewhat scarce biography of the famous pioneer.  
BN:  21682  

Brown C.L.M.  THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR -  an historical survey.  O.U.P. 1st, 1927; 19 x 13cm, 126pp, 8 illus; vg+.

£14.50
Good pocket survey of the development of aeronautical knowledge up to c1910.  
BN: 25326  
Claxton W.J. THE MASTERY OF THE AIR - £25.00
Blackie 1st, 1914; 1915 reprint of 1st, 1914; 260pp, 23 plates, figs in text; f. cover sl loose, o/w vg.More attractive & useful than the later versions of the same title. The 1st recently seen on E-bay at a high price!Also reprinted 2nd, 1915; similar except foxing to some pages & page edges - £16.; Also - 3rd, 1920;near-vg - £12  
BN: 22163  
Claxton W.J. THE AIRMAN AND HIS CRAFT - £22.00
Blackie 1914; 19 x 13cm, 80pp, 4 vg col plates, 9 photos, diags; vg except spinepaper splitting; ."Rambles among our industries"series. mostly descriptive of pre-WW 1 period.  
BN: 21510  

Combs,Harry B. with Martin Caidin  KILL DEVIL HILL -  the epic of the Wright Brothers 1899-1909.  1986 card cover edn  389pp, 70 illus (photos & diags), good biblio; (nice picture f. cover) fine -

£12.00
An analysis of the achievements & writings of the Wright Brothers.  
BN: 21410

Crouch, Tom  THE BISHOP'S BOYS -  a life of Wilbur & Orville Wright.  Norton USA 1st, 1989; 606pp, f.illus; fine inc d/w.

£24.00
Biography claiming to give new insight into the family's history.  
BN: 28532  

Davy M.J.B.   HENSON AND STRINGFELLOW -  Their work in aeronautics, 1840-1868.  HMSO 1st, 1931; 115pp, col frontis, 6 fold-out diags, 25 plates; vg int, spinecloth faded & chipped at one end.  

£18.00
Illustrated account of the work of the two British pioneers, including much on the Steam Carriage.  
BN: 25327  

Delacombe H.  THE BOYS' BOOK OF AIRSHIPS -  and other aerial craft:   Grant Richards 1st 1910; 288pp, 87 illus; g to vg (vg picture covers, some plates chipped at edges & one plate with feint crayon marks.

£35.00
Well illustrated description of early flying, really better than a "boy's book". Almost half about heavier-than-air flying.  
BN: 22112  

Etrich, Dr. Igo  DIE TAUBE -  Memoiren des flugpioniers:  Waldheim - Eberle, Wien, nd (1960's ?); 86pp, 46 photos, German lang; nr fine.

£16.00
Career story of the famous pioneer with illustrations of his aircraft (1904 to 1929).  
BN: 22118  
Fabb, John FLYING AND BALLOONING FROM OLD PHOTOGRAPHS - £10.00
Batsford 1st, 1980; 26 x 19cm, 116 captioned photos & brief introduction; fine inc d/w.Based mainly on British activities.  
BN: 26397  

Fairlie,Gerard & Elizabeth Cayley  THE LIFE OF A GENIUS -  Sir George Cayley, Pioneer of Modern Aviation. 

£18.00
H & S 1st, 1965; 192pp, portrait; vg inc d/w.  The work of Britain's "Father of aviation".  
BN: 23161  

Ferris,Richard  HOW IT FLIES- OR - THE CONQUEST OF THE AIR -  story of man's endeavours to fly & the inventions by which he has succeeded.  Nelson 1st, 1910; 475pp, over 150 photos & line drgs; picture f.cover;  vg int, spine v faded, f cover sl faded;  the USA version of "How to fly" with different cover design & frontis picture, otherwise the same.

£45.00
Classic, well-illustrated contemporary description.    
BN: 22119  

Gamble, C.F.Snowden  THE AIR WEAPON - being some account of the growth of British military aeronautics from 1783 to the end of 1929. Vol 1 (1783-1914)   O.U.P., 1931; 290pp ; vg int, spinecloth  split.  vg int -

£28.00
The only vol to be published of the intended "history to 1929"; covers in detail the events leading to the formation of the RFC; scarce & important work.  
BN: 26399  

Garber, Lester W.  THE WRIGHT BROTHERS AND THE BIRTH OF AVIATION -  Crowood 1st, 2005; 25 x 20cm, 272pp, f. illus (diags & photos); fine inc d/w. 

£19.50
A study of the parameters evaluated in designing and testing the successful gliders and aeroplanes; mildly mathematical, illustrating the scientific approach of the brothers to the problem of stable and controllable flight.  
BN: 31749  

Gibbs-Smith C.H.  THE AEROPLANE -  an historical survey.  HMSO, 1960; 375pp, 22 plates, 45 figs in text, glossary, references, chronology, addenda; Corrigenda sheet loosely inserted; near fine (celophane protection stuck to covers, no d/w.)

£16.00
Covers all periods to date of publication but a large part is on pre-WW 1 aviation and aviators.  
BN: 21895  

Gibbs-Smith C.H.  CLEMENT ADER  his flight-claims & his place in history  HMSO (Science Museum) 1st, 1968; 214pp, figs; fine inc d/w. 

£23.00
Detailed examination of the claims for Ader's alleged 1897 flight & the legal battles with the Wright Brothers re the "First Flight".    
BN: 21153  

Gibbs-Smith, C.H  THE REBIRTH OF EUROPEAN AVIATION -  1902-1908.  HMSO 1st, 1974; 378pp, 59 illus, good bibliography; fine inc d/w. 

£17.50
Detailed description of developments, 1902 to 1908, in Europe with a large section on the flights in France of Wilbur Wright and n appendix by Chanute of USA flying.  
BN: 22532  
Gibbs-Smith C.H. PIONEERS OF THE AEROPLANE - £7.50
Usborne Pub. (UK) 1975; 29 x 22cm, 48pp, photos, col drgs; fine, vg d/w. Childrens' picture book on aviation through the ages.  
BN: 23927  

Gimbel, Richard (Tom Crouch & other editors)  THE GENESIS OF FLIGHT -  the aeronautical history collection of Colonel Richard Gimbel.  Perpetua Press USA, 2000; 31 x 24cm, 372pp, f. illus (mostly colour) biblio, CD in pocket at rear; as new.

£28.00
Beautiful illustrations of this remarkable collection of early books, pictures, posters, manuscripts, seals and other aeronautical ephemera. A useful and attractive record.  
BN: 31446  
Gollin, Alfred NO LONGER AN ISLAND - Britain & the Wright Brothers 1902-1909. £16.00
Heinemann 1st, 1984; 24 x 16cm, 478pp; fine, near fine d/w.Monumental study of the effect of early flights on attitudes & politics in the UK.  
BN: 21634  

Grahame-White, Claude & Harry Harper   THE AEROPLANE IN WAR - Laurie 1st, 1912; 23 x 16cm, 244pp, 17 photos; generally vg (exceptionally clean copy but top of spinecloth torn)

£50.00
Detailed forecasts of the uses of aircraft in war, praise for the thorough training methods already being used in Germany, the authors pressing the urgent need for "powerful high-speed aeroplanes". One of the authors' less common books from the pioneer period.  
BN: 21497  
Grahame-White,Claude & Harry Harper THE AEROPLANE - £28.00
Jack's Romance of Reality series, 1914; 280pp 16 plates, photo on f. cover; binding loose but complete; covers clean but sl worn. -   
BN: 22121  

Grahame-White, Claude & Harry Harper  AIR POWER; NAVAL, MILITARY, COMMERCIAL -  Chapman & Hall 1st 1917; 262pp, 20 photos (inc some of G-W aircraft types); vg (slight staining to a few pages) With an inscription that suggests this was part of Harry Harper's library.

£40.00
Covers history of flight, air war, aircraft design, and makes predictions re post-war air travel, air law & commercial flying.  
BN: 20951  

Grand-Cartaret, John & Leo Delteil  LA CONQUETE DE LAIR VUE PAR LIMAGE, 1495-1911 -  Librarie des Annales, Paris, c1911; 32 x 25cm, 176pp, f.illus (monochrome photos, drgs, cartoons & some full-page plates, (some monochrome & tinted, some full colour) Professionally rebound with new eps matching the originals, original (superb) picture boards & spine re-attached to new cloth; first title page moth-eaten at extreme edges only) and one other page with chipped edge. Carefully checked for completeless by comparison with my collection copy.

£285.00
An rare and attractive workillustrating graphically the history (mainly) of ballooning with illustrations , cartoons, advertisements etc from many period publications. Occasionally appears at auction at high prices.  
BN: 31830  

Hallion, Richard P.  TAKING FLIGHT -  Inventing the aerial age from antiquity through the first world war.   Oxford U.P., 2003; 26 x 18cm, 529pp inc 90pp of references; many photos & diags; fine inc d/w.

£16.00
Most of the book covers the pre-war days.  
BN: 31361  

Hamel, Gustav & Charles C.Turner  FLYING -  Some practical experiences.   Longmans Green 1st, 1914; 341pp, 72 photos, biblio; spinecloth splitting & sl torn at top; some foxing & minor folds at corner of few pages; the many photos vg-fine; a somewhat tired (and therefore cheaper) example.

£24.00
Good description - a classic of the period, with vg illus.  
BN: 23138  

Harper, Harry  THE EVOLUTION OF THE FLYING MACHINE -  Balloon; airship; aeroplane.  Hutchinson 1st, 1930; 288pp, 63 plates; worn cloth, binding loose, plain fep missing; but all plates OK. A reading copy! 

£10.00
Popular-style review, mainly covering the pioneer years; the illustrations make this perhaps the author's most desirable work.  
BN: 24164  
 Harper, Harry  LORDS OF THE AIR -  Lutterworth 1st, 1940; 216pp, 52 photos; vg+.   £18.00
 Personal memoirs.One of Harry Harper's several books on early flying   More than half the book describes pre-WW 1 flying; continues mainly about civil airline development to date of writing.  
BN:  26386  
Hart, Clive THE DREAM OF FLIGHT - Aeronautics from classical times to the renaissance. £16.00
Faber 1st, 1972; 26 x 20cm, 200pp, 63 plates, 40 figs, biblio; near fine inc d/w.Attractive account of fanciful ideas, kites & designs. Some original Latin texts also reproduced.  
BN: 28543  
Hearne R.P. DER LUFTKRIEG - £55.00
Siegismund, Berlin, 1909 (trans from "Aerial Warfare", UK, 1909); German lang (Gothic script); 255pp, 57 illus (photos, drgs, diags); near fine (owner's bookplate at front); attractive picture cover. History of airships & aeroplanes so far - their potential as weapons of war.  
BN: 29934  

Hoernes, Hermann  BUCH DES FLUGES -  Vol 1   Wien 1st, 1911; 27 x 20cm, 676pp, 358 figs inc photos, diags, one col photo (aerial photo from a balloon, photos from the air of mountains, several full-page woodcut drgs, fold-out diags of wind speeds; German language; vg (spinecloth sl damaged. Lacks frontis col plate and second page of foreword (photo copies of both these missing pages enclosed for the sake of completion)

£60.00
This work was finally completed in 3 vols. Vol 1 contains chapters on natural flight, ballooning, kites & kite balloons. Vol 2 covered early aeronautical researchpropellers, engines, airships & early aeroplanes. Vol 3 (added to the originally intended 2 vols) covered helicopter designs & more on early aeroplanes & airships.  
BN: 31848  

Hoffman, Paul  WINGS OF MADNESS -  Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight.  Fourth Estate 1st UK, 2003; 369pp, 35 illus; extensive notes; fine inc d/w.

£17.50
The genius of Santos-Dumont, the Brazilian hero worship and his sadness at the results of aviation.  
BN: 31529  

Howard, Fred.  WILBUR AND ORVILLE -  A biography of the Wright Brothers.  Hale 1st UK, 1988;; 530pp, 53 illus; fine ,sound d/w has spine completely faded.

£15.00
BN: 23706  

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