air

Volume II of this two volume chronicle tells the story of the American volunteer pilots who served in the French Army’s Lafayette Escadrille (or squadron) during the First World War. The volumes include pilot biographies, photos, and several illustrations. It was written by Escadrille volunteer pilots James Norman Hall and Charles Bernard Nordhoff. The two men formed a successful writing partnership after the war that included works such as the well-known novel Mutiny on the Bounty, published in 1932.

Volume I of this two volume chronicle tells the story of the American volunteer pilots who served in the French Army’s Lafayette Escadrille (or squadron) during the First World War. The volumes include pilot biographies, photos, and several illustrations. It was written by Escadrille volunteer pilots James Norman Hall and Charles Bernard Nordhoff. The two men formed a successful writing partnership after the war that included works such as the well-known novel Mutiny on the Bounty, published in 1932.

The catalog record for these two oversize British editions, published in the 1930s by an oil company, doesn’t do justice to the plentiful color illustrations of aircraft, engines, and their interior structure. The illustrations include several flip-up sections that reveal the aircraft “insides” and would be appreciated by audiences of any age who want to view this almost 90 year old “modern” technology.

From the National Air and Space Museum Library's rare book collection, this 1953 classic is another publication from the Golden Book series on aviation for young readers. It was given to the Smithsonian’s National Air Museum (as it was called then) in 1957 by Paul Garber, the first curator of aeronautics for the Smithsonian. It is filled with aircraft illustrations, flight history, and biographies of well-known aviators of the period. Due to its age and paper quality, it is in need of some preservation treatment.