RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 21, 2011 . Greetings All, While the last week or so has left me little time for my OFF passion it has offered me opportunities to add another four superb books to my WWI collection. They are as follows: "The Spider Web: The Romance of a Flying-Boat War Flight", by T.D. (PIX) Hallam, (1979 Edition) "German Air Power in World War 1", by John H. Morrow, Jr., (1982 1st Edition) "The Story of a North Sea Air Station: being some account of the early days of the Royal Flying Corps (Naval wing) and of the part played thereafter by the air station at Great Yarmouth and its opponents during the war, 1914-1918", (now that's a book title), by C.F. Snowden Gamble, (1967 1st Edition with supplementary notes) "Flying Corps Headquarters 1914-1918", by Maurice Baring, (1968 1st Edition with supplementary notes) All of these are hard cover editions in fine to near-fine condition, each in their original dust jacket. Prices were cheap to the point of being silly, at slightly more than $60 for all four, (I have seen Morrow's outstanding work alone go for that, provided you can even find a copy). While I have already read Hallam's book I will gladly do so again. The rest of these wonderful volumes are sure to be very enlightening and will be worth far more in sheer enjoyment than the paltry sum I paid will ever reflect. Me so happy! . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted September 21, 2011 Geeze, Lou - how many books about WW1 aviation do you own by now? When do you read all that? (I hope not during driving down the long country roads of North Dakota?) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 21, 2011 (edited) . Well Olham, since you asked, here is my WWI library, (both aviation and general interest): 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 Airman's Outings", Alan 'Contact' Bott, (1917 1st Edition) "An Aviator's Field-Book", Oswald Bolcke, English Translation, (1917 1st Edition) "A Poet of the Air", Jack Morris Wright, (1918 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 Corps Headquarters 1914-1918", Maurice Baring, (1968 1st Edition with supplementary notes) "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) "Horses Don’t Fly: A Memoir of World War I", Frederick Libby, (2000 1st US printing) "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 Wortley, (1928 1st Edition) "Memories of World War 1", William Mitchell, (1960 Edition) "My Experiences in the World War", John J. Pershing, (1931 1st Edition) 2-volume set "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) "Open Cockpit: A Pilot of the Royal Flying Corps", Arthur Gould Lee, (1969 1st Edition) "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) "That’s My Bloody Plane: The World War I experiences of Major Cecil Montgomery-Moore, as told to Peter Kilduff", (1975 1st Edition) "The Flying Poilu", Marcel Nadaud, English Translation (1918 1st Edition) "The Red Knight of Germany", Floyd Gibbons, (1927 1st Edition) "The Spider Web", T.D. Hallam (P.I.X.), (1979 Edition) "The Way of the Eagle", Charles Biddle, (1919 1st Edition) "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) "With the Flying Squadron", Harold Rosher, (1916 1st Edition) History, Reference, and General Interest Books: "A World Undone: The Story of the Great War 1914 to 1918", G.J. Meyer, (2006 Edition) "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) "Capronis, Farmans, and Sias: U.S. Army Aviation Training and Combat in Italy With Fiorello LaGuardia 1917-1918 ", Jack B. Hilliard, (2006 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) "German Air Power in World War 1", John H. Morrow, Jr., (1982 1st Edition) "Heros of Aviation", Laurence La Tourette Driggs, (1919 1st Edition) "High in the Empty Blue", Alex Revell, (1995 1st Edition with author's signature card) "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) "Ludendorff's Own Story", Erich Ludendorff, (1919 1st Edition) 2-volume set "National Geographic" Magazine, (entire 1918 series, hard bound, ex-library copy) "Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War", W.M. Lamberton, (1962 Edition) "Rhymes of a Red Cross Man", Robert W. Service, (1916 1st 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 Imperial Russian Air Service, Famous Pilots and Aircraft of World War One", Alan Durkota, (1996 1st Edition) "The Lafayette Flying Corps", by James Hall and Charles Nordhoff, (1964 Kennikat Press limited edition two-volume set) "The People's War Book and Atlas", (1920 1st Edition, signed by Lt. Col. William A. Bishop) "The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917-1918 and the Birth of the Royal Air Force", Raymond H. Fredette, (1966 1st Edition) "The Story of a North Sea Air Station", C.F. Snowden Gamble, (1967 Edition with supplementary notes) "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 "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) "The Western Front from the Air", Nicholas C. Watkis, (1999 1st Edition) "Time-Life Epic of Flight", 23-volume set, (not old and not strictly WWI but still a lot of good info and photos) "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 a contemporary context) 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. McMinnies, (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) And no, I do not read them whilest zipping along the North Dakota byways. As to when I actually do read them all, let me just say that sleep is overrated . Edited September 26, 2011 by RAF_Louvert Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
UK_Widowmaker 571 Posted September 21, 2011 Jeez!...what a stunning collection Lou Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 21, 2011 . Thanks WM, it has been a good many years in the making. And it does give my flying room a certain je ne sais quoi. Oui? . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 21, 2011 . Well Carrick, it's all quite relative. My collection is more that of an enthusiast when compared to those belonging to the real WWI aviation historians. But I do appreciate the "wow". Also, I realized after my first posting that I had completely forgotten one I'd acquired about two months ago. A beautiful 1st edition of "That’s My Bloody Plane: The World War I experiences of Major Cecil Montgomery-Moore, as told to Peter Kilduff". This is a fun little read about the Major's time with 19 Squadron flying the Sopwith Dolphin. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dej 17 Posted September 21, 2011 As you've stunned all with your collection, Lou, your modest task is now to say which you would particularly recommend. I'd hazard Grinnell-Milne, McCudden, Arthur Gould Lee and Cecil Lewis go without saying, as would the unparalleled HitEB... but of the others, for those looking for an immediate extension to their own collection which ought already to include those I've just listed? Et aussi, I notice you're missing 'Ace of the Iron Cross' - any particular reason? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 21, 2011 . Dej, Udet's book is only one of many I have yet to find a good copy of at a price I wish to pay. Just several others of those many would be, (in no particular order): "Winged Victory", by V.M.Yeates "Bomber Pilot 1916-1918", by C.P.O. Bartlett "An Airman Remembers", by Hans Schroder "I Chose the Sky", by Leonard H.Rochford "The Balloon Buster: Frank Luke of Arizona", by Norman S. Hall "Adventure's a Wench: The Autobiography of Charles Veil as told to Howard Marsh" "With the French Flying Corps", by Carroll Dana Winslow "The Journals of Ernest George Fenton Hall" "The Lost Diary", by Sandham Graves "An Escaper's Log", by Duncan Grinnell-Milne "Night Raiders of the Air, Being the Experiences of a Night Flying Pilot, Who Raided Hunland on Many Dark Nights During the War", by A.R. Kingsford "Marine Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War", by Heinz J Nowarra, Bruce Robertson, and Peter G. Cooksley Now, to your other question. You are spot on with the group you listed, and I would also add: Biddle's "The Way of the Eagle", Coppens' "Days on the Wing", Kingsford's "With the Earth Beneath", Roberts' "A Flying Fighter", and Hall's "En L'air!". There are other outstanding ones as well, but I chose these as they offer some range in writing styles as well as personalities. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shiloh 12 Posted September 22, 2011 Congrats Lou and I apologize for salivating on your collection - a clean rag should do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted September 22, 2011 Has anyone here read Peter Kilduff's book "Black Fokker Leader" about Carl Degelow yet? I have just found it in AbeBooks, and now I'm searching for a German version. http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=peter+kilduff&sts=t&tn=black+fokker+leader&x=32&y=10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 22, 2011 . Many thanks Shiloh, and drool towels are provided in the reading room. Olham, I understand that Peter Kilduff has added quite a bit of new material to his 1979 book, "Germany's Last Knight of the Air: The memoirs of Major Carl Degelow". I read that one when it first came out and thought it very good. This first work was basically the translation of Carl's own 1920 German publication, "Mit dem weißen Hirsch durch dick und dünn". I am looking forward to reading Kilduff's new edition as well. Sorry though Olham, it does not appear to have a German text offering as of yet. BTW, have you read Herr Degelow's original work? I should think that must be available in your country. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted September 22, 2011 How was Degelow's original book named? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 22, 2011 . Olham, the title of Degelow's memoirs when first published in 1920 was "Mit dem weißen Hirsch durch dick und dünn", and if I am correct in my very thin understanding of German, that would translate to "With the White Stag Through Thick and Thin". . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olham 164 Posted September 22, 2011 That's correct, Lou - his emblem was a white stag. I looked into AbeBooks.de, but no find. Must be a rare one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vonOben 55 Posted September 26, 2011 Excellent book collection Lou! Now I understand where you got your great knowledge about WWI. And thanks for your book recommendations! Cheers vonOben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 26, 2011 . Thanks vonOben. And if you are searching for some WWI aviation reading don't overlook the numerous book downloads in the OFF 'Scenery and Ground Objects' section. Several of the titles mentioned are there. Also, yesterday I added yet another volume to my collection: "The Sky on Fire: The First Battle of Britain 1917-1918 and the Birth of the Royal Air Force", by Raymond H. Fredette. This is an excellent accounting of the strategic bombing of England done by the Germans during the Great War. The price was ridiculous for this hardbound 1966 first edition in a mint dust jacket; a whopping $4.99! Even more ridiculous when you consider that the new paperback reprints of Fredette's work are currently being sold at Amazon for $22.00. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hasse Wind 46 Posted September 26, 2011 Are you cheating those books from old grannies at those prices? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RAF_Louvert 101 Posted September 26, 2011 . Nope HW, found most of them on eBay. Of course, they could be old grannies I suppose. Old grannies who know how to sell on the internet but don't bother to research the market before pricing their items. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vonOben 55 Posted September 26, 2011 . Thanks vonOben. And if you are searching for some WWI aviation reading don't overlook the numerous book downloads in the OFF 'Scenery and Ground Objects' section. Several of the titles mentioned are there. I downloaded all sets from your "WWI Aviation Books" when you posted them, but there are so many so a few recommendations on the best ones was much appreciated. Thanks again for uploading them! Cheers vonOben Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
