RAF_Louvert 101 Posted November 25, 2010 . Greetings All, This week I was fortunate enough to add two more first editions to my own little WWI library. They are: “No Parachute” by Arthur Gould Lee, 1970 Harper and Rowe, first U.S. edition; and “Beyond the Tumult” by Barry Winchester, 1971 Allison and Busby, London, first edition. Both are in beautiful shape with no wear to the hardcovers or bindings, near-perfect dust jackets, and clean unmarked pages; and both were very, very inexpensive. I had borrowed a paperback of Lee’s work some time back and read it in it’s entirety and must agree with those in this forum who have rated it as one of the best works of it’s kind. While I still think Lewis’ “Sagittarius Rising” is slightly better, as is Biddle’s “The Way of the Eagle”, Grinnell-Milne’s “Wind In the Wires”, and “Kingsford’s “With the Earth Beneath”, I would definitely place Lee’s book in the same esteemed company as these. As to Winchester’s book, if you’ve never read it you should. It gives a great insight into an entirely different aspect of the pilot experience in WWI; that of being shot down, captured, and placed in a POW camp, only to eventually escape. I put this one in nearly the same class as another of Grinnell-Milne’s outstanding works, “An Escaper’s Log”. With the newest additions my collection now looks like this: 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) "A Rattle Of Pebbles: The First World War Diaries Of Two Canadian Airmen", Brereton Greenhous, (1987 1st Edition) “Beyond the Tumult”, Barry Winchester, (1971 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) "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) "In The Clouds Above Bagdad", J.E. Tennant, (1920 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) “No Parachute”, Arthur Gould Lee, (1970 1st US printing) "Rovers of the Night Sky", W.J. ‘Night-Hawk’ Harvey, (Vintage Aviation Library Edition) "Sagittarius Rising", Cecil Lewis, (1936 Edition, 1st US printing) "Stepchild Pilot", Joseph Doerflinger, (1959 1st Edition) "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) "Whom The Gods Love", Lewis C. Merrill, (1953 1st Edition) "Wind in the Wires", Duncan Grinnell-Milne, (1918 1st Edition) "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 Robertson, (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) "Manual Of Rigging Notes Technical Data", (1918, possible reprint) "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) Me so happy. Cheers! Lou . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
carrick58 23 Posted November 25, 2010 wow, a True Academic collection. Awesome:salute:. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dej 17 Posted November 25, 2010 Very nice indeed, Lou. A collection to be envied by anyone with an interest in the subject. I see you're quite meticulous in acquiring first editions mainly, must have taken you a while. I haven't the patience, I'm afraid. If want it, haven't read it, can afford it and it's not falling apart I'll have it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeDixonUK 5 Posted November 25, 2010 That's one mighty fine collection you've got there Lou! Must have one big bookcase too! The only somewhat academic titles I own are Cornelius Ryan's 'A Bridge Too Far' and Robert Shaw's 'Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering', so I surrender to your book mastery. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ratatat 0 Posted November 26, 2010 Words fail me. Through studious lurking on this forum I have acquired some very well recommended books ( most likely recommended by you it seems )...but your collection...is awe inspiring. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted November 26, 2010 Lou, have you ever thought of founding the "Minnesota L'Etoile du Nord Great War Air Combat University"? You would earn the salary of the head master, the professor, the librarian and the caretaker; and you could lecture all day over your favourite subjects. If you like it quieter, just make it a library for WW1 air combat - it is an impressive collection! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted November 26, 2010 . Many thanks Carrick, Dej, Mike, Ratatat, and Olham for your kind praises of my collection. While it is perhaps slightly more than modest to some, it is quite timid compare to others belonging to folks in these circles. As example, one of the members of my old RB3D squadron has a private WWI aviation library of over 500 books and adds to it with every new work that hit the presses. However, what may make mine a bit unique is the point made by Dej about the first editions, and to that point I'd like to elaborate if I may. I was born in 1954 and my very first book on the subject was "The First War Planes", by William Barrett, a thin little pulp newsstand item I recieved for my birthday when I was around nine or so, (I was already interested in WWI aircraft at that point, having built several plastic models of the more famous ones). I loved the pictures and information and wanted more, so I started going to the libraries and finding other related books, (Grinnell-Milne's "Wind in the Wires" was the first autobiographical work I read and it has been one of my personal favorites ever since). Now, you must keep in mind that for the most part, in the 1960's in the upper midwest portion of the US, the majority of libraires, both primary school and public, had many recently purchased books. The years since WWII had been generally quite prosperous and the display of this newfound wealth was seen everywhere. In the libraries it manifested itself in new facilities, new equipment, and new books. Lots and lots of new books. Old editions, unless they were rare, tended to be boxed up and stored away, or given away, or thrown away. They were replaced with bright, plastic-wrapped modern works, and reprints of the popular earlier ones. Because of this it wasn't until years later that I came across an old WWI aviation book that had been printed "in the day". It was Rickenbacker's "Fighting the Flying Circus", and I found it in the University of Minnesota library, (a place where the old books had actually been preserved and remained on the shelves). When I held it and leafed through its aged, cream-colored pages it was like a time machine: The style of illustrations; the cloth-wrapped hard covers; the tint of the old photos; even the type font. It changed the reading experieince for me. More than that, it made me wonder who had read that same volume before me. It became possible, perhaps even inevitable, that a former WWI flyer himself had held the very book I was holding. It was now more than just a collection of facts and figures, or the recollections of a hero from the past. It was a direct link, a conduit if you will, to that very past itself. If you've never experienced this I am truly sad for you, and I hope that someday you will discover the absolute wonder of it. It is this which started me collecting the first editions, and it has been an ongoing labor of love ever since, made sweeter by the limited income I have to direct towards the hunt. Most of my finds have been discovered at garage sales, church sales, estate sales, and library sales, (where they have actually found those old boxes that were stored away decades earlier). More recently, the internet has given me new, far-reaching fields to explore, resulting in some amazing additions to my collection, Raleigh and Jones' "The War in the Air" being the superlative example. My apologies for a rather long-winded explanation in reponse to a short comment. Olham, to your thought about me starting my own open library; I have begun to wonder just what I should do with the collection in the inevitable event of my passing. I have considered donating it to an appropriate organization, provided I don't have a heir that would wish to claim it for their own. I don't really know though at this point what organization might be appropriate and/or interested. Good Lord willing I have a fair amount of time left to sort that one out. Cheers! Lou . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hasse Wind 46 Posted November 26, 2010 You've advertised your collection at least once before, Lou, but I'm still impressed by it when I see it. I have many general and other histories of the war, but nowhere near that number of memoirs by pilots. Do you have the complete set of the RFC/RNAS/RAF official history by Raleigh and Jones? That one is really expensive. I don't have the originals but later reprints. Excellent reading for the most part, and they contain some information that just doesn't exist anywhere else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted November 26, 2010 So you're a Vintage '54 too, old chap! Ahh, the material - they don't build that anymore! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted November 26, 2010 . Hasse Wind wrote: You've advertised your collection at least once before, Lou, but I'm still impressed by it when I see it. I have many general and other histories of the war, but nowhere near that number of memoirs by pilots. Do you have the complete set of the RFC/RNAS/RAF official history by Raleigh and Jones? That one is really expensive. I don't have the originals but later reprints. Excellent reading for the most part, and they contain some information that just doesn't exist anywhere else. Yes HW, (to paraphrase myself from one of those earlier postings), I have the seven volume set plus both complete map cases. It is an original 1st edition set with matching blue bindings with gilt lettering that originally resided in the RUSI at Whitehall until 1956 when it was pulled from their shelves and sold off. I purchased it from a rare book seller in Florida about three years ago. It is in near-perfect condition and is the pride of my WWI book collection, and the set rests securely on the top shelf in my library: Olham wrote: So you're a Vintage '54 too, old chap! Ahh, the material - they don't build that anymore! We are a classic lot, are we not? . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hasse Wind 46 Posted November 26, 2010 Ah, now that you posted I remember you already said that to me some time ago, Lou. Sorry, my memory must be deteriorating. Unfortunately it's not so easy to replace than faulty PC memory chips. Anyway, that's a real treasure. Guard it well. I understand perfectly what you mean by the feelings of old times those ancient books evoke. I have some old German and Finnish books from the early 20th century, and it just doesn't feel the same to be reading a brand new book. Just by looking at the old books and the markings left by previous owners makes you feel like you're traveling back in time. Besides, they rarely make books today like they used to do decades ago. In many cases the computerized methods of mass production have destroyed a lot of the artistic value of books, which is a shame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tripe & Flaming Onions 0 Posted November 27, 2010 G'day All, What an amazing collection, I like to find biographies of WWII pilots mainly, but have a slowly growing shelf of WWI books. Most are in your collection except for : "Flying Minnows" by "Roger Vee" a pseudonym of Vivian Voss, a Canadian pilot. "Australian Hawk over the Western Front", A biography of Major RS Dallas DSO, DSC, C de G avec Palme by Adrian Hellwig. Both good reads, hope to use your list to purchase more good stuff . Cheers, T&FO> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tripe & Flaming Onions 0 Posted November 28, 2010 (edited) Just ordered "No Parachute", "Wind in the wires" and "With the earth beneath" will look forward to reading them soon. Too easy, mate. Edited November 28, 2010 by Tripe & Flaming Onions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted November 28, 2010 . Good on you T&FO, you will enjoy those books Sir. And thanks as well. BTW, "Flying Minnows" is one of the many on my list of works to get, and I'll have to look into "Australian Hawk Over the Western Front" Cheers! Lou . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JFM 18 Posted November 29, 2010 (edited) That book list is a good start. Also, be sure to grab Nigel Steel/Peter Hart's Tumult in the Clouds, The British Experience of The War in the Air, 1914-1918. Required reading, IMO. Alex Revell's British Single-Seater Fighter Squadrons of the Western Front in World War I is bursting with information. So is Lance Bronnenkant's The Imperial German Eagles in World War I, Their Postcards and Pictures. Also, the brand new Belgian Air Service in the First World War by Walter Pieters is THE book on this forgotten/overlooked area of First World War aviation. 728 pages/over 1,000 photographs/375 biographies/history of the AMB/daily chronology of the AMB for the entire war. Edited November 29, 2010 by JFM Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted November 29, 2010 . Thank you for the recommendations JFM, a couple of those are already on my book wish list and I will be adding the others. Given your own authorship I imagine you are one of those here whose personal WWI aviation library is very, very extensive. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest British_eh Posted November 30, 2010 :( my humble collection of some 20 books, 2 originals looks quite paltry next to your Lou, BUT, it is mine, and I am looking to add "No Parachute" for Xmas! There is no point in having such an exquisite collection, without being able to quote from it. I may have to contact you, the OFF Forum custodian of Fine Collectible WWI literature, to request your impeccable knowledge of issues facing SIA-RSS. Cheers, British_eh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
