Added Another Old Book to My WWI Aviation Library

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Greetings All,

 

As some of you know, I have a modest collection of vintage and 1st edition WWI aviation books, and this morning found another volume to add to it. I came upon a nice, sound, 1st English edition of Franz Immelmann's book, "Immelmann: The Eagle Of Lille". Franz's work about his brother Max, the famed German ace, is a classic read despite a few inaccuracies of the time. The copy I was fortunate enough to locate is the John Hamilton Publishing 1930 first English printing of the Claud W. Sykes translation, and sports the original dust jacket. The price was a paltry $35 including shipping, making it an outstanding bargain as well as a great find. Heck, the price of the 1990 reprint is nearly the same price! I read this book many years ago, and can't wait to sit down soon with this original, and a nice hot cup of tea, and re-read it again.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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[Ironhat]

One has to be a decicated collector to appreciate the feeling when a new treasure is found !

 

Just don't spill your tea on it now, lol.

[shredward]

Grand larceny I'd say. You bugger!

[+Olham]

A great old book found it's perfect owner!

[Von Paulus]

Great RAF.

It sounds interesting.

[+Hasse Wind]

Damn, that's a cheap price for such a book. Being a collector of old books myself (nothing major yet, just a few books on interesting subjects), I know the feeling when you find something good and affordable.

[+Olham]

Well, if you search Google for "pages from Germany" = "Seiten aus Deutschland",

you may get a lot more of this specific field of German military literature.

 

So, without wanting to belittle your find, Lou, I show for Hasse Wind and all an

address with this particular book, and maybe much more to find there.

 

When searching there, make sure you click on "Bilder und weitere Informationen".

 

 

http://www.antiquari...ail.php?nr=1428

Edited February 13, 2010 by Olham

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Olham, you are not belittling my find at all my friend. Anything that promotes the collection and preservation of old books is a very, very good thing, IMHO.

 

I'm doing my bit. Here is the listing of my current WWI literature collection:

 

 

^{Personal Narratives and 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, English Translation, (1917 1st Edition)}

^{"Cavalry of the Clouds", Alan ‘Contact’ Bott, (1918 1st Edition)}

^{"Cloud Country", Jimmie Mattern, (1936 Pure Oil 1st Edition) 3-volume set}

^{"Days on the Wing", Willy Coppens, English Translation, (1931 1st Edition)}

^{"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)}

^{"Immelmann: The Eagle of Lille", Franz Immelmann, English Translation, (1930 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)}

^{"Flying The Old Planes", Frank Tallman, (1973 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 two-volume set)}

^{"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)}

^{"Time-Life Epic of Flight", 23-volume set, (not old and not strictly WWI but still a lot of good info and photos)}

^{"The War in the Air", Raleigh and Jones, (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)}

 

 

^.

[+Olham]

Here are some more finds I just saw - I show the links without recommending the books,

cause I don't know them myself, nor do I know, who released them, and in which spirit.

 

Reuter, Ludwig von: Scapa Flow

http://www.antiquariat-biebertal.de/detail.php?nr=1424

 

Stöwer, Willy: Kaiser Wilhelm II.und die Marine

http://www.antiquariat-biebertal.de/detail.php?nr=1420

 

Schlachten des Weltkrieges, 38 Books

REICHSARCHIV: Bd. 1 - 36

MARINEARCHIV: Bd. 37, 38

http://www.antiquariat-biebertal.de/detail.php?nr=1105

[+Hasse Wind]

 

So, without wanting to belittle your find, Lou, I show for Hasse Wind and all an

address with this particular book, and maybe much more to find there.

 

 

That site seems to have some interesting titles in their selection (based on my quick look), and the book about Immelmann is very reasonably priced. Thanks for the link, Olham.

 

Lou,

You have an amazing collection of old aviation books!

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Thanks Hasse Wind. And it's only taken me about 40 years to bring it to this point.

 

.

[+Hasse Wind]

Schlachten des Weltkrieges, 38 Books

REICHSARCHIV: Bd. 1 - 36

MARINEARCHIV: Bd. 37, 38

http://www.antiquari...ail.php?nr=1105

 

 

Now that's a ***load of books! Back then they knew how to write history as thoroughly as possible. Nobody releases such impressive series of historical books anymore.

 

Would need a truck to ship those over here, though. Or maybe a C-130.

 

Edit: Olham, you were asking about Jutland in the other thread. Maybe you should read those first before playing the game?

Edited February 13, 2010 by Hasse Wind

[+Olham]

Cripes, Lou - slow as I read, I would need the rest of my life to get through

with all these titles! What a great library you collected, Sir!

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Thanks Olham, but you would be surprised how qucikly you can read through a pile of books on a subject that really holds your interest. I've read through them all at least once, and at least a dozen of my favorites I've read two and three times each. BTW, that German set would be amazing to own. If I could read German at all I'd be very tempted to go after it myself as it would give an outstanding perspective of the German view of the Great War.

 

.

[+Olham]

Yes, these REICHSARCHIV books are inclusive folded military maps.

Now the question is, how much they might be "coloured" in a pre-WW2 German spirit;

or in other words: how historically authentic are the books?

I really don't know. The price of 435,- Euro would be okay for such a mass of books.

 

Lou, I have one "unfair" question to you: if I would only want to read one book about

the British side of WW1 air combat (and I'm more interested in the pilots' views than

in the strategic ones), which ONE book would you recommend before all others?

 

(Hope this won't cost you a night of sleep now - Lol!)

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Wow, what an impossible question to answer Olham. I will say that my personal favorite of the genre is Duncan Grinell-Milne's "Wind In The Wires", followed very closely by Cecil Lewis' "Sagittarius Rising", and Norman Archibald's "Heaven High, Hell Deep". But there are just so many.

 

.

[+Hasse Wind]

 

Yes, these REICHSARCHIV books are inclusive folded military maps.

Now the question is, how much they might be "coloured" in a pre-WW2 German spirit;

or in other words: how historically authentic are the books?

 

 

I haven't studied the books either, but I think it's inevitable they can't be perfectly objective when dealing with that kind of subject so soon after the end of the war and the signing of the hated Versailles peace treaty. But on the other hand, those books were written during the Weimar Republic, so no bizarre Nazi views of history should be included. And Germany is after all also the home of serious modern historical writing with all it's critical methods of study that were developed in the late 1800s and are widely accepted even today (use of primary source material, critical analysis and comparison of sources etc.), so I'd be very surprised if those books were only stupid propaganda.

[+Olham]

You may be right there, Hasse Wind - maybe it was really a work of the big

Reichsarchiv, before the NS regime took over.

 

Thank you, Lou; just found the book is still available.

I'll get "Wind in the wires" as soon as I get some bills paid.

And later, "Sagittarius rising" will follow.

Edited February 13, 2010 by Olham

[Bullethead]

I'm doing my bit. Here is the listing of my current WWI literature collection:

 

I just found a cool book you don't have, but will surely want. I've been unable to put it down. Best part is, it's free:

 

http://www.archive.org/details/spiderwebromance00pixsuoft

 

The Spider Web is about the ASW operations of the RNAS Felixstowe flying boats, as told by the commander of the Felixstowe squadron. The narrative style is very good, plus it includes an insane amount of technical info on the various systems in use and how the boat operations worked. And they seem to have killed quite a few U-boats, more than I'd thought, plus a few Zeps. Not to mention flying in horrific weather off the water.

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

What a great find Bullethead, I have added it to my "electronic" library. I read an excerpt from that book many years back, and until you had posted this link I'd completely forgotten about it. If you aren't already aware, "P.I.X." was the pseudonym of Flt. Commander Theodore Douglas Hallam, a Canadian in the RNAS who was twice awarded the DSC for his actions in the war. As an interesting sidebar, Hallam is mentioned in The Fleet Annual of 1917 in the same group of despatches as RNAS ace Roderic Stanley Dallas who was also presented a bar to his DSC at that time for his actions of April 23rd, 1917. BH, you would find this publication of interest I am sure, and here is the link to that archived volume:

 

The Fleet Annual and Naval Year Book of 1917

 

Enjoy, and thanks for the link to "The Spider Web". I love the old seaplanes and can't wait until we have a few WWI types to fly. In IL2 one of my favorite birds is the Catalina.

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

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[+Olham]

A great find you share here, Bullethead.

I was searching for Siney Perley's old book "Historic Storms of New England",

and it's in there! Thanks!

[+Olham]

For all newbies, who don't have any books of fighter pilots yet:

 

Manfred von Richthofen: "Der Rote Kampfflieger"

 

http://www.archive.org/stream/DerRoteKampfflieger/RichthofenManfredFreiherrVon-DerRoteKampfflieger1917203S.#page/n0/mode/2up

 

and the English translation of the book: "The Red Battle Flyer"

 

http://www.archive.org/stream/redbattleflyer00rich#page/n9/mode/2up

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Also, this zip file I put together some time back:

 

 

WWI Books Zip Download

 

 

This download contains the following titles:

 

Biogrophies, Diaries, Personal Writings

 

“A Flying Fighter”, by E.M. Roberts, c.1918

 

”A Happy Warrior”, the letters of William M. Russel, c.1918

 

”Above the Battle”, by Vivian Drake, c.1918

 

“Air Men O'War”, by Boyd Cable, c.1918

 

”An Aviator’s Field Book”, the field notes of Oswald Bolcke, English Edition c.1917

 

”Cavalry of the Clouds”, by Alan Bott, c.1918

 

”En l'air!”, by Bert Hall, c.1918

 

”Fighting the Flying Circus”, by Eddie Rickenbacker, c.1919

 

”Flying For France”, by James R. McConnell, c.1917

 

”Go Get 'Em!”, by William Wellman, c.1918

 

”Green Balls: The Adventures Of a Night-Bomber”, by Paul Bewsher, c.1919

 

”High Adventure”, by James Norman Hall, c.1918

 

”Night Bombing With the Bedouins”, by Robert H. Reece, c.1919

 

”The Flying Poilu”, by Marcel Nadaud, c.1918

 

“The Red Battle Flyer”, by Manfred von Richthofen, English Edition c.1918

 

”The Way of the Eagle”, by Charles J. Biddle, c.1919

 

”Winged Warfare”, by William A. Bishop, c.1918

 

 

References:

 

“Aircraft Mechanics Handbook”, c.1918

 

”Heroes Of Aviation”, by Laurence La Tourette Driggs, c.1918

 

”How To Fly”, by A. Frederick Collins, c.1918

 

“Learning To Fly in the U.S. Army”, by E.N. Fales, c.1917

 

“Practical Flying”, by W.G. McMinnies, c.1918

 

“The Aero Manual”, c.1909

 

“The German Air Force in the Great War”, by Georg Paul Neumann, c.1920

 

”The Romance Of Aircraft”, by Laurence Smith, c.1919

 

 

Cheers!

 

Lou

 

 

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[Von Paulus]

You've a great collection, RAF.

Are you attracted to WWI in general or just WWI air war? And since when?

[+RAF_Louvert]

.

 

Thanks VP. I've been a free time, self-taught student of WWI in general and the "Great Air War" in particular since my youth. Pursued WWII for a while, but it couldn't hold my interest the way the 1914-18 conflict does. It was just such an amazing, and horrific, period of world history.

 

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