Retrospective Bookshelf

Each month Aeronautical Archive will review two books taken from the archives and look at them in the context of the period in which they were originally published.  The books chosen for review are those which could possibly still be found in second hand book shops or charity shops and would be a worthwhile addition to the library of any committed aviation historian. The price quoted is the original publication price where this is known.

Aircraft of World War 1

by Kenneth Munson (Ian Allen Ltd.  15 shillings) 1967. When the war to end all wars started in 1914 the aeroplane had been in existence for only eleven years and was seen by many senior ranking military minds of the time to be of little value other than as an aerial observation platform.  The two largest European air forces were those of France and Germany.  Britain, Russia and Belgium had no real aircraft industry, the majority of aircraft types held on the inventory of these nations being of French manufacture.  Over the next four years all this was to change and by 1918 the emerging aircraft industries had developed the aeroplane into a highly efficient machine changing the world of warfare forever. This compact book by Kenneth Munson follows in the same style as his earlier offering Aircraft of World War 
II and together they make a valuable contribution to any aviation library.  The book covers 104 major and 97 lesser-known aircraft types with a comprehensive yet concise description of development, technical details and operational use.  Given the period many of the photographs, the majority from the Imperial War Museum archives, are of exceptional quality.  Listed at the back with a brief description but no photographs are 78 experimental or less important operational aircraft.  With a comprehensive index it is possible to source information on virtually all aircraft that were developed or participated in the First World War.

Aircraft Annual 1962

by John W.R.Taylor (Ian Allen Ltd  10s 6d) 1962. Throughout the 1960s and on into the 1970s John W.R. Taylor’s name was synonymous with aviation and in particular books specifically aimed at the younger enthusiast.  First published in 1950 the Aircraft Annual became a lasting favourite with the air minded youngsters of the day and was no doubt a welcome discovery amongst the presents on Christmas morning.  Our review copy is one of six held by the archive.  Despite the passage of time it is still possible to find items of interest within its pages  Don’t be surprised to discover a little gem of information not available elsewhere. The success of the annual, the very name immediately conjures up the impression of a teenage book, was that the articles were written in a concise and balanced manner mixing the modern with historical fact.  No attempt was ever made to talk down to the reader.  With contributions from aviation authors like Bill Gunston, John Innes and Maurice Allward to mention but a few, one would certainly expect articles of the highest calibre and you would not be disappointed.  Frequently you will find topics covered that are not to be found in other publications.  In the 1962 edition there is a well-written and illustrated piece on Ocean Weather Ships.  Now a part of history, these ships located on strategic points across the Atlantic and Pacific were part of a vital scheme set up in 1946 by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to provide meteorological information for aviation.  They were funded by the nations that flew the routes in direct proportion to their national usage and in 1962 eighteen nations funded 9 weather ships stationed across the Atlantic.  In these days of global satellite technology it seems hard to believe that aircraft were totally dependent on surface vessels for their weather information.

[ Home ] [ Up ]

Send mail to aeronautical.archive@ntlworld.com