Jon Guttman's new book

[Frederic Mason]

Hello Ya'all; It was great to meet with Jon Guttman at Dawn Patrol Rendezvous 2009 and get a copy of his new book - "THE ORIGIN OF THE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT, 2009, Westholme Publishing, Eight Harvey Ave., Yardley PA, 19067, Westholme Publishing - Publisher of nonfiction books and works in American and world history and culture, arts, military history, sports, and regional interest, $26.00, hardcover, 295 pages, ISBN9-78-1-59416-083-7.

So, I finally had a chance to finish it this afternoon. I'd like to recommend it to fellow enthusiasts of WWI aero as a excellent primer, if you will, of the fighter development of the First Great War. Jon covers every aspect completely and gives all the pertinent aircraft models, aces, armaments and manufacturers a historical chronology as the war progressed. He brings up some interesting points that are often overlooked or unseen by the average student. I think I learned a lot from it and will be looking to it to refresh and maintain my knowledge on this topic.

I hope many of you get a chance to read and own this book. I'd love to hear what you think about it and what you learned from it and your thoughts on the topic Jon presents? Happy reading; FM

[stephen]

Got my copy, but been traveling like an idiot. Hope to read it asap. Tx for the review. Would be interested to hear the thoughts of others, too.

[YavorD]

My copy arrived in early September.
The book is a good account for fighter development during the Great War.
The book is well designed and printed.
I found it thoroughly readable and better edited in comparison with corresponding Osprey Duel series examples. What is not enough for the book, in my humble opinion, are data illustrating how technical advance materialized in actual performance and operational strength in terms of pilot training, maintenance infrastructure and unit deployment. Such topics are present in the book but the idea how air-to-air strength developed in relation to the aerial reconnaissance and bombardment strength can be stressed a bit further.
Regards,
Yavor

Jon Guttman
The Origin of the Fighter Aircraft
Westholme Publishing, Yardley, PA, 2009, 1st Edition, Hardcover, 296 pages.
ISBN 978-1-59416-083-7

[Fokker Ace]

I can echo some of what Yavor has said above.

For me, the book seemed lacking in technical data to illustrate the changes - there's not a single table or chart in an appendix in this book. Some tables of production and strenghts would certainly be welcome, or even a timeline of significant events.

The overall effect is a re-telling of familiar stories we've heard before. I can't say there was anything that made me think of the fighter war in a different light. Great for the newcomer but a rather basic read for many.