RAF_Louvert 101 Posted April 1, 2009 Evening All, MK2's recent post in which he shared his collection of WWI ace's signatures, sanka cards, and letters got me to wondering what the rest of us might collect in terms of the First World War. So, in that vein, I would like to share one of my passions; old books, (and 1st editions in particular). Here is what is currently in my Great War library: Personal Narratives, Biographies: "A Flying Fighter", E.M. Roberts, (1918 1st Edition) "Airmen O' War", Boyd Cable, (1918 1st Edition) "An Airman Marches", Harold Balfour, (Vintage Aviation Library Edition) "An Aviator's Field-Book", Oswald Bolcke, (1917 1st English Edition) "Cavalry of the Clouds", Alan 'Contact' Bott, (1918 1st Edition) "Cloud Country", Jimmie Mattern, (1936 Pure Oil 1st Edition) 3-volume set "Death in the Air", William Heinemann, (1933 Edition) (famous faked aerial photos) "Double-Decker C.666", Haupt Heydemarck, English Translation, (1931 1st Edition) "En L'air!", Bert Hall, (1918 1st Edition) "Fighting the Flying Circus", Edward Rickenbacker, (1919 1st Edition, ex-library copy) "Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps", James McCudden, (1918 1st Edition) "Flying for France", James McConnell, (1917 1st Edition) "Go Get 'Em!", William Wellman, (1918 1st Edition) "Guynemer, Knight of the Air", Henry Bordeaux, English Translation, (1918 1st Edition) "Heaven High, Hell Deep", Norman Archibald, (1935 Signed 1st Edition) "High Adventure", James Norman Hall, (1918 1st Edition) "Kitchener's Mob", James Norman Hall, (1916 1st Edition) "Letters From a Flying Officer", Rothsay Stuart Wortlrey, (1928 1st Edition) "Memories of World War 1", William Mitchell, (1960 Edition) "Night Bombing with the Bedouins", Robert Reece, (Battery Press Edition) "Nocturne Militaire", Elliot White Springs, (1934 Edition) "Rovers of the Night Sky", W.J. 'Night-Hawk' Harvey, (Vintage Aviation Library Edition) "Sagittarius Rising", Cecil Lewis, (1936 Edition, 1st US printing) "The Flying Poilu", Marcel Nadaud, English Translation (1918 1st Edition) "The Red Knight of Germany", Floyd Gibbons, (1927 1st Edition) "The Way of the Eagle", Charles Biddle, (1919 1st Edition) "True Stories of the Great War", (1918 1st Edition) 6-volume set "Up And At 'Em", Harold Hartney, (1940 1st Edition) "War Birds; Diary of an Unknown Aviator", Elliot White Springs, (1926 1st Edition) "Wind in the Wires", Duncan Grinnell-Milne, (1968 Edition, ex-library copy) "Winged Warfare", William Bishop, (1918 1st Edition) "Winged Peace", William Bishop, (1940 1st Edition) "With the Earth Beneath", A.R. Kingsford, (1936 1st Edition) History, Reference, and General Interest Books: "Air Aces of the 1914-1918 War", Bruce Rpbertson, (1964 Edition) "Aircraft of Today", Charles Turner, (1917 1st Edition) "Aviation in Canada 1917-18", Alan Sullivan, (1919 1st Edition) "Colliers New Photographic History of the World War", (1917 Edition) "Decisive Air Battles of the First World War", Arch Whitehouse, (1963 1st Edition) "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War", W.M. Lamberton, (1964 Edition) "Fragments From France", Bruce Bairnsfather, (1917 1st Edition) (Great War cartoons by the master of the genre) "Heros of Aviation", Laurence La Tourette Driggs, (1919 1st Edition) "Historic Airships", Rupert Holland, (1928 1st Edition) "History and Rhymes of the Lost Battalion", L.C. McCollum, (1929 Edition) "History of the World War", Francis March, (1918 1st Edition) "History of the Great World War", Rolt-Wheeler and Drinker, (1919 1st Edition) "Land and Water" Magazine, (entire April through September 1917 series, hard bound, ex-library copy) "National Geographic" Magazine, (entire 1918 series, hard bound, ex-library copy) "Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War", W.M. Lamberton, (1962 Edition) "Source Records of the Great War", (1923 1st Edition) 7-volume set "The First War Planes", William Barrett, (1960 Edition) (the one that started it all for me) "The Great Air War", Aaron Norman, (1968 Edition) "The Great War", George H. Allen, (1919 1st Edition) 5-volume set "The Great War in the Air", Edgar Middleton, (1920 1st Edition) 4-volume set "The Lafayette Flying Corps", by James Hall and Charles Nordhoff, (1964 Kennikat Press limited edition) "The United States in the Great War", Willis Abbot, (1919 1st Edition) "The U.S. Air Service in World War I", Maurer Maurer, (1978 1st Edition) 4-volume set "True Stories of the Great War", (1918 1st Edition) 6-volume set "U.S. Official Pictures of the World War", Moore and Russell, (1924 1st Edition) 4-volume set 1920 World Book Encyclopedia, (entire set with addendums, great for cross-referencing in an historical context) "The War in the Air", Raleigh and Jones, (1922-35 1st Edition) 9-volume set including map cases (originally in the military library at Whitehall; my personal Jewel of the Crown) Instructional Books: "Aeroplane Construction and Operation", John Rathbun, (1918 1st Edition) "English-French War Guide for Americans in France", Eugene Maloubier, (1918 Edition) "Learning to Fly in the U.S. Army", E.N. Fales, (1917 1st Edition) "Lewis Machine Gun 'Airplane Type' Service and Operation Manual", (1918 Edition) "Practical Flying", W.G. Minnies, (1918 1st Edition) "The Art of Reconnaissance", David Henderson, (1916 1st Edition) "Science of Pre-Flight Aeronautics", (1942 Edition) "Self-Help for the Citizen Soldier", Moss and Stewart, (1915 1st Edition) There is something very special about holding an old volume of text and just soaking it all in. The look and feel, the writing style and illustrations, even the smell of a vintage book, add to the whole reading experience. I fully enjoy sitting in the evenings and delving deep into a Great War adventure, and some of them are so good I have read them over and over. And I am always on the lookout for others that I might be able to add to my shelves. So, what are some of the things you have gathered up over the course of time that reflects your personal interests? Inquiring minds want to know. Cheers! Lou Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
catch 81 Posted April 1, 2009 I'll give you 20 bucks for the lot RAFL (sight unseen) and that's being generous. The collection is obviously worth far less. Do not dismiss this offer. I am an honourable chap, a gentleman infact and it'll hurt me more than you. Trust me. Cheque okay ? OMG ! What a fab collection ! You guys are pretty serious WW1 enthusiasts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cptroyce 0 Posted April 1, 2009 Lou- Clearly, you are going to be the "go to guy", when it comes to research ;>) Royce Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rickitycrate 10 Posted April 1, 2009 I used to think I had a nice library. So entirely an awesome collection, I mean wow! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shredward 12 Posted April 1, 2009 I'm gobsmacked!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Typhoon 5 Posted April 1, 2009 Wow! that is an impressive library. The only thing that I have is what is purported to be a a pair of WW1 German aviator goggles. I don't know if they are or not, but they looked the same as some of the ones in the Red Baron movie. The elastic certainly looks the part as it is has no elasticity left. and is in a very fragile state. Tony Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted April 1, 2009 Thanks folks, I have spent a fair number of years gathering these old books together by rummaging through the stacks at second-hand stores, estate sales, library book sales, and most recently online spots like Abe Books. There are many other folks in the flight sim community with much, much larger WWI libraries; Bob Pearson, (aka AB1 Colslaw), and Willie von Luft who flys with my RAF 209 RB3D squadron, to name just a couple. However, my little collection may have one of the higher numbers of vintage and period-written works. I enjoy each and every one of these books, but as I mentioned the one that is my prize is THE WAR IN THE AIR. Being the Story of the Part Played in the Great War by the Royal Air, by Raleigh and Jones. Here is just one of the many, many maps that is part of this set: The wealth of information in this one set alone is unbelievable, and it was collected together at a time when events were still quite fresh in everyone's minds. Cheers! Lou Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wels 2 Posted April 1, 2009 Hello, woa, thanks for posting this !! I have been looking for charts like that, there are only a few in Robinson's "Naval airships", and small. How i would like to manouever a Zeppelin ... there are phantastic stories about the airships and their technical advantages and issues - guess i will have a look-out for this book ! Thanks and greetings, Catfish Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rooster89 0 Posted April 2, 2009 Where do I sign up for the library card? Awesome collection Lou! -Rooster Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
