Books You Might Be Looking For?

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And finally, Bishop's own version of his wartime career. Not at all rare (SO many reprints!), but here's a 1918 edition, listed at $19.99

Winged Warfare Major Billy Bishop Doran Aviation WWI
Winged Warfare, by Major W. A. ["Billy"] Bishop, VC, DSO, MC, published in the US by Doran in 1918. 1st US edition. 272 pp., with 12 pp. of photos. The classic work by the most famous flying ace to survive World War I. Hardback book in good/very good condition; spine slightly faded; some wear on top, bottom of spine; small brown spot top left front cover; smoke [?] stain top edge. Overall above average condition. No dust jacket. See my other military and aviation listings!

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I know a number of you people here really scoff at Arch Whitehouse, but here's a very fairly priced 1st Edition of his wartime memoir. In my opinion, this is his very best book; telling the story of how he traveled from New Jersey to enlist in the British Army before making the transfer to Observer and then finally pilot. The quality of his writhing is better than his standard "pulp" writing to. Bid starts at GDP 1.99.

THE FLEDGLING - WW1 AIR GUNNER - 1ST EDITION HARDBACK
A VERY GOOD 1ST EDITION HARDBACK COPY OF THIS FASCINATING WW1 REFERENCE/AUTOBIOG BY ARCH WHITEHOUSE - THE FLEDGLING. PUBLISHED IN 1965 BY VANE.307 PAGES WITH INDEX AND PHOTOS. AUTHORS STORY OF HIS EXPERIENCES AS AN AERIAL GUNNER IN WW1 SERVING IN 22 SQUADRON ,ROYAL FLYING CORPS. BOOK IS VERY GOOD CONDITION.JACKET NOT PRICE CLIPPED,BUT EDGE WEAR AND A COUPLE OF MINOR TEARS. HARD TO FIND TITLE.

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Here's another one. This was a novel published in connection with the fine "Harleyford" books back in the '60's. It's very ambitious. The author attempted to create the most accurate novel of the time. In my opinion the dialog and characters are a little stilted, but it's still a pretty good read (and a nice addition to a collection). GDP 3.59

THE EAGLES HEIGHT by ROBERT ELLIOT
SELDOM BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF AVIATION LITERATURE HAS THERE BEEN PUBLISHED SUCH A NOVEL AS THE EAGLES HEIGHT, WRITTEN BY AN EXPERIENCED AND PRIZE WINNING SERVING OFFICER IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, THIS BOOK WAS FULLY VETTED BY THE 'HARLEYFORD' TEAM OF TECHNICAL WRITERS

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Here we go.... FIVE interesting signatures. No bids yet, with a $99 starting price. Man, I'd love to own this one...

Elliott White Springs War Birds Signed WWI Aviation
War Birds: Diary of an Unknown Aviator, by Elliott White Springs, special autograph edition published by Doran in 1926. 279 pp. plus two fold-out photos inside the rear cover. This book was based on the diaries of John McGavock Grider supplemented by the writings of Elliott White Springs, who prepared the book for publication (after it appeared as a series of articles in Liberty Magazine in 1926). The book recounts the adventures of 210 American aviation cadets who traveled to England, trained at Oxford University, and then began flying training at a number of fields around the UK. After training, the book follows the "anonymous aviator" into action in France with the Royal Flying Corps' 85 Squadron, which was commanded by Billy Bishop. This special edition includes an autograph page with the signatures of the five people most directly involved in the activities of the men involved: Geoffery Dwyer, Leslie Macdill, Bennett Oliver, Clayton Knight, and Elliott White Springs. This is an unnumbered copy (the words "office copy" appear in the space reserved for the number). This copy has been very nicely rebound, keeping the boards and color scheme of the original (the original books had very flimsy covering on the spine and wore out from use very easily). The signature of the original owner of the book (Lawrence B. Cummings, Capt., AEF) appears on the inside front cover along with a newspaper article stating that Springs gave $12,000 to the Grider family for the use of the Grider diaries. The book is in very good condition; the only problem is that some early dampness has affected the pages with the two fold-out photographs--some water-staining is evident on the photos as well as a couple of small portions where parts of one of the photos were stuck together. Overall, a very presentable copy. See my other military and aviation listings!

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Here's one I've never seen before. This has a $19.99 starting price. That's probably a fair price; being a university publication I'm going to guess it wasn't printed in huge numbers.

[b]American Pilot in Skies of France WWI Aviation Signed[/B]
An American Pilot in the Skies of France: The Diaries and Letters of Percival T. Gates, 1917-1918, edited by David K. Vaughan, published by Wright State University Press in 1992. 209 pp., with 21 pp. of photos and maps. Percival Gates was a pilot in the 27th and 185th Aero Suqadrons in France during World War I. The book describes his training experiences in the U.S. and at Issoudun, France, as well as his operational experiences. The 27th Aero Squadron was one of the best-known day chasse squadrons, while the 185th Aero Squadron was an experimental night fighter squadron, formed in the last months of the war. Book is signed on the title page by the editor. Hardback book and dust jacket in excellent condition. See my other military and aviation listings!

By the way, if any of you people here find this thread useful, I'd love to hear about it. I know some of you are WAY beyond me and my own collection, but I'm really hoping that a few of the novice collectors find this useful. The veterins could contribute by recommending (or warning against) these various volumes as they come up. I think this forum can be a great way to swap ideas about some of the aviation literature from past years.

Myself, I'm only searching ebay these days, but would welcome pointers to other auctions, sellers, etc. that introduce new books. Thanks

[dpolglaze]

I have a tendency to really like the letters and diaries, so I enjoyed the Gates letters of "An American Pilot." It is easy to find, with multiple copies currently available online at BookFinder.com: Search for New & Used Books, Textbooks, Out-of-Print and Rare Books for under $20.

Dan

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Here's another old book that I've never seen before. Starting bid... $19.18. Dan, do you know this book?

Rare WWI A Stop At Suzanne's,Ace Greayer Clover 1st Ed.
Up for auction is this Rare WW1 book bound in gray embossed boards, this antique book is a scarce account by and of the noteworthy World War I flying ace "Grubby" Clover who lost his life in 1918 in an Air Force training accident. The work is illustrated with a frontispiece portrait and a few other images. The volume shows some mild external wear, and is solidly bound with clear, lightly age toned pages. The book measures approximately 5" x 7.75" and contains 265 pages.

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This grouping of four books has been up on ebay a few days with no bids so far.. At $9.99, I think it's a very nice deal for someone:

Ace Iron Cross Udet Hostile Skies Hudson WWI Aviation
Ace of the Iron Cross, by Ernst Udet. An Air Combat Classic, edited with an introduction by Stanley M. Ulanoff. Colonel General Ernst Udet (April 26, 1896 – November 17, 1941) was the second-highest scoring German flying ace of World War I. He was one of the youngest aces and was the highest scoring German ace to survive the war (at the age of 22). His 62 victories were second only to Manfred von Richthofen, his commander in the Flying Circus. Udet wrote his memoirs with a straightforward yet highly descriptive style. Don't expect any dry verse or dull monotone. He captured all the emotions and thoughts that he must have experienced in a way that some novelist would be hard pressed to mimic. It is interesting to read of his many achievement in war (second highest scoring German Ace) and then to read of his near failures after the war. In short, this book gives the story of a remarkable life that reads in such a way that it is truly hard to put down.

Aces High, by Alan Clark. This powerful account of war in the air on the Western Front during World War I is by the distinguished military historian Alan Clark. Covering fighting squadrons on both sides of the conflict, ACES HIGH captures the lives of the idealistic young men who joined the air services in the early months of the war, who, if they survived, grew into the embittered but courageous aces of 1916 and 1917 - men like Manfred von Richthofen, Albert Ball, Mick Mannock, Georges Guynemer, Charles Nungesser and Raoul Lufbery. In 1914 the conquest of the air was newer, less sure and vested with a still higher romance than that of space today. The frailty of the aeroplanes, the incendiary bullets of the enemy, the banning of parachutes as "likely" to lower morale' made death a three to one certainty. The aces performed acts of incredible bravery and skill but almost all lost their lives or their sanity. Alan Clark writes of the planes they flew and their evolution from "stringbags" and "flying coffins" to the sophisticated tactical machines of 1918. He also tells of the high commands who failed to recognized the significance of the aerial contribution to the war and sent men to their deaths in inadequate and badly designed planes. More than a chronicle of aerial warfare during five turbulent years, ACES HIGH is a highly illustrated and exciting account of men at war in the skies and an illuminating survey of the tactics and strategies that led to ultimate Allied victory.

Hostile Skies, by James J. Hudson. Hudson took great pains to insure the accuraccy of this book, and continued to seek out information about the men and units he wrote about in this book. It is THE BOOK on the fledgling American Air Service, and having been a WWII fighter pilot, Hudson wrote from a pilot's point of view, and was able to discuss the salient points and the bad points of the experiences that these men had and how it shaped the future of our air force. As a former AAF fighter pilot, he ties in his expertise to make Hostile Skies readable and enjoyable. It does not degenerate into an aces' scorecard of kills and losses, but rather includes various units of the Army Air Service--The Balloon Corps, Observation and Bombardment squadrons, and of course Pursuit. Hudson's use of personal interviews and first-hand accounts makes his work an excellent reference for WWI Aviation historians.

The First Air War, by Lee Kennett. The much-covered field of World War I in the air gains an extensively researched re-evaluation in this work by Kennett, research professor at the University of Georgia and author of seven books, including G.I.: The American Soldier in World War II (Warner, 1989). Choosing not to dwell on the desperate air-to-air combats of a few American, British, and German aces--exciting though they were, their importance was overemphasized by the media of the day and subsequent historians--he views the war in the air as a whole, reminding us that the primary purpose of air power in World War I was reconnaissance and intelligence. He provides fresh information and thoughts in many areas, including valuable chapters on the recruitment, training, and daily lives of the participants. Students of this period's air warfare should read Kennett's book first, then go on to more detailed works. Essential for all World War I collections. "In this fascinating book, Lee Kennett tells of (World War I fliers and) their experiences on all fronts and skillfully places them in proper context" (Edward M. Coffman, author of "The Old Army"). "A welcome and long overdue addition to the literature of military aviation."--Richard P. Hallion, Lindbergh Professor, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. This is a surprisingly good book about a subject that has been already covered in tons of ink. Kennett has written widely on air warfare, and held a visiting professor position at the National Air and Space Museum. Many other works have examined combat or industrial aspects of the war, but his is still the best overall survey: balanced, very well thought out, well-argued, and not so drenched in detail as to confuse the reader with a welter or jumble of data. I strongly recommend this for the bookshelf of anyone interested in the use of aviation and airpower in the Great War. Chapters are devoted to subjects like aircraft design and maintenance, the structure of a nations air corps, day to day life in a flight squadron, or the general public's perception of pilots. What kind of man actually sought out this dangerous career of flight combat and how were they trained? How was this new fangled flying machine assimilated into a warring nations military and put to tactical advantage? We have all heard about the fighter pilots and their single seater scouts but what was the function of the recon squadrons and the bombers? The book is well written. It is amazing how much information is contained in here. Every paragraph is meaningful, it is well organized, and I don't think there is a topic on the subject of the first air war that was left out. It is an historical narrative but Kennett brings it to life with personal opinions and thoughts from people of the period. If you are looking for a great read on the subject of early aviation and the first air war, you will have to look hard to find one that tops this one!

[dpolglaze]

Dan, do you know this book?

Rare WWI A Stop At Suzanne's,Ace Greayer Clover 1st Ed.

Jan,

Yep. It's more a book about experiences in France than about flying, although there are some flying anecdotes, and a few memorial letters. I read it a while ago. Did a quick search, and it's available for perusal on Google books at A Stop at Suzanne's: And Lower Flights - Google Book Search.

Also, I pulled the Gates book last night. It has a bunch of details about the American aviation training program that really took effect starting late 1917, and contains both letters from Gates to various family members as well as his diary entries, compounded chronologically. The parts of the book cover pilot training at Park Field in Tennessee, flying training at 3rd AIC Issoudun, Gunnery School at St. Jean-de-Monts, his time as a ferry pilot, and flying with the 185th and 27the Aero Squadrons. Much material on training as wwell as training accidents. It also includes a transcription of his flight log.

Dan

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Originally Posted by dpolglaze

Jan,

Yep. It's more a book about experiences in France than about flying, although there are some flying anecdotes, and a few memorial letters. I read it a while ago. Did a quick search, and it's available for perusal on Google books at A Stop at Suzanne's: And Lower Flights - Google Book Search.

Also, I pulled the Gates book last night. It has a bunch of details about the American aviation training program that really took effect starting late 1917, and contains both letters from Gates to various family members as well as his diary entries, compounded chronologically. The parts of the book cover pilot training at Park Field in Tennessee, flying training at 3rd AIC Issoudun, Gunnery School at St. Jean-de-Monts, his time as a ferry pilot, and flying with the 185th and 27the Aero Squadrons. Much material on training as wwell as training accidents. It also includes a transcription of his flight log.

Dan

Dan, thanks for the book link. That's a pretty cool feature; being able to read books from the past online. The description of the gates book is reminiscent
of "Pat Crowe, Aviator", which is also the letters home by an American aviator training in France (before he is killed). I'll guess you have this one in your massive library!