WWI Aviation books cover art

[clipperpa16]

Did Jo Kotula ever paint a Thomas Morse Scout for a Model Airplane News cover?

[Frederic Mason]

Dpolglaze; What is the full title to Clapp's 17th Aero Squadron history? I wish to see if the interlibrary system can find a copy to read and compare to CAMEL DRIVERS?? And thanks very much, Dan, for the look-see at these art forms. Just finished reading THE FIRST TEAM, an excellent job of research and writing. Tally-ho; FM

[Gregvan]

Hi,

I'll see if I can save Dan a little trouble. The full title of the book by Frederick M. Clapp was A History of the 17th Aero Squadron, nil actum reputans si quid superesset agendum. Garden City, NY, Country Life Press, 1920. If you can find an original copy anywhere, it's worth its weight in gold. That marvelous cover shows the white "dumbell" which served as the Camel Squadron's insignia during the war, as well as the White Snow Owl insignia which became the squadron insignia just as the war ended. With 10 photos and drawings by H.H. Kellum.

This book was reprinted in a softcover facsimile (without that splendid cover) by the Battery Press in Nashville, 1990. It contained the same 171 pages, all the appendices, all the drawings by H.H. Kellum, and 22 photos which were added for that edition. I'm sure you can find that edition through used or rare book dealers, or interlibrary loan fairly easily.

[dpolglaze]

Frederic,

The full title is "A History of the 17th Aero Squadron, nil actum reputans si quid superesset agendum, December 1918" but "A History of the 17th Aero Squadron" will find it. The author is Frederick M. Clapp. Published c. 1920.

Battery Press issued a revised reprint in 1990 that includes additional photographs.

I looked up the Latin, which means approximately "thinking that nothing was done, if anything remained to be done" or more colloquially "nothing has been done if something remains to be done" and was originally attributed to Lucan, and was said about Julius Caesar.

Dan

[Kirk R. Lowry]

Bonjour mes amis!

Well, obviously, the book can be identified, Aircraft of World War I written by John Lloyd and published by Ian Allan Ltd as a second edition in 1958, but ... Who did the the pen and ink illustration on the cover? The only clue are the initials ANW. What is the airplane depicted? A de Havilland D.H.1 or a F.E. 2 of some sort? ... though no skids are below the nacelle I think it is supposed to be a later version of the Vickers F.B.5 ... what do you think?



Salut!
Kirk

[dpolglaze]

Kirk,

It may be a Vickers F.B.9. See for example Vickers F.B.9 - fighter. Image attached.

vickers_fb-9.jpg

Dan

[Gregvan]

Kirk,

It certainly looks like Dan nailed it. I think we can even be fairly certain that it's the very same photo the artist used as the basis for his illustration - identical perspective, etc.

Greg

[Frederic Mason]

Many-many thanks, Greg and Dan, for the title info on 17th Aero Squadron. I'll see what I can come up with between the two editions. Battery press does a bang-up job on their reprints and they have a lot of the WWI unit histories still available.

Off Topic, but recently one of the greatest U.S. Fighter Leaders "Flew Into The West". Donald Blakeslee, 90, passed in Miami, FL. He was a famed 8TH Air Force Ace and Eagle Squadron veteran. Col. Don was one of the coolest. RIP. Cordially; FM

[Kirk R. Lowry]

Originally Posted by dpolglaze

Kirk,

It may be a Vickers F.B.9.

Dan

Bonjour Dan!

You are correct! The F.B.9 was referred to in the book, but, not illustrated within. The aircraft is not one I am familiar with ... had to take British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 by Bruce off the shelf to have a look. A careful reading of the text of Aircraft of World War I by Lloyd would have provided the answer though ... under the description of the "Vickers "Gunbus" F.B.5 & F.B.9" the final sentence reads "and the picture on the front cover is drawn from a photograph of the F.B.9".

By the way ... does anyone have a copy of British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 with the jacket? ... the copy I inherited from my father is without jacket ... never do remember there being one and wonder how it looks ...

Merci Dan
Kirk

[dpolglaze]

Originally Posted by Kirk R. Lowry

By the way ... does anyone have a copy of British Aeroplanes 1914-1918 with the jacket? ... the copy I inherited from my father is without jacket ... never do remember there being one and wonder how it looks ...
Kirk

Kirk,

The cover for the 1969 Funk & Wagnalls release looks like this:



The 1957 Putnam release came in a black slip case with a clear plastic dust cover.

Dan