Putnam Aeronautical 1959 a work some overall consistency of plan is necessary and this is missing in Mr. Lewis’s 1959 work; on some squadrons copious details are given … whereas on others the reader is left 59/1 Squadron histories: RFC, RNAS and guessing even as to the theatre of operations in RAF since 1912. Peter Lewis which the unit existed … It is disappointing to 224pp. 8 col. plates find that in this second edition the large number Price: 30s. of factual errors does not appear to have been [not held] reduced; we found thirty-two in the first eight Reviews: [Gerald J. Pollinger. Air Pictorial, July pages. Some of these are no doubt typescript 1959, p.262] This labour of love by an author errors or errors of cross-checking … There are who has contributed articles on the same subject thirteen useful appendices, although they do not to a number of aeronautical periodicals is one of all appear relevant … The redeeming feature of those reference books which an enthusiast needs, the book is the colour plate section depicting the but which are rarely published because their coloured insignia of the fighter squadrons; this is potential sale seems limited. … It is a noble a delight, being clearly the finest production of piece of work and one that is bound to find its these in print anywhere to date and is almost way into the larger aeronautical libraries. Mr. worth the 50s. alone. Lewis is to be congratulated on his industry and [J.D.R. Rawlings. Air Pic. July 1969, p.268] the publisher on his endeavour. Royal Air Force Unit Histories, Nos.1 to 200 [2] 2nd edition 1968: Squadrons, by J.J. Halley (Air Britain, 18s. 6d. pp. [iv] 5-224 + 8 col. plates. No other illus. Red or 16s. for members) Once again the researchers photog. [Gloster Javelin] illus. d.j. of Air Britain have produced an invaluable Printers: C. Tinling & Co. Ltd, Prescot publication and one for which many people have Price: 50s. longed for a good few years. … The only other SBN: 370 00022 6 publication purporting to cover this ground at Appendices: I: Aircraft used as equipment or for present on sale is so full of errors as to make it service trials by squadrons. II: Aircraft untrustworthy; by comparison this volume is specifications. III: Titles of squadrons. IV: hard to fault, the standard of accuracy being Winners of the Cranwell Sword of Honour. V: high. … Chronology of the R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. [1973 cat.] The new edition of this unique and VI: Personnel, squadrons and aircraft: widely-acclaimed volume contains histories of approximate strengths. VII: Squadron and unit all R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and R.A.F. squadrons. Each code lettering. VIII: Abbreviations. IX: Numbers one is mentioned, with details of its movements, of squadrons formed in the Royal Air Force. X: aircraft types and strengths, significant dates, its Chiefs of Air Staff. XI: Secretaries of State for most memorable achievements and outstanding Air. XII: Comparative ranks. XIII: Awards of the pilots. Fighter squadron markings in full colour. Victoria Cross Copy: ex Leicestershire and Rutland County 59/2 British civil aircraft 1919-1959, Library volume 1. A.J. Jackson Notes: col. plates of fighter squadron fuselage pp. [vi] 7-576. 512 photos, 111 g.a. drawings. markings Index. Dark blue cloth [p.5] The histories contained in this book are, Printers: Richard Clay & Co. Ltd therefore, necessarily of brief form. For the first Price: 63s. time, however, the details given of all of the Dedication: To Eddie Riding squadrons have been brought together for Appendices: A: Miscellaneous civil aircraft; B: reference in a single book Military types used for civil purposes; C: Reviews: [J.D.R. Rawlings. Air Pic., Sep. 1968, [registered British civil aircraft for which no p.356] In accordance with Putnam’s practice of illus. found]; D: Individual aircraft histories producing successive, revised editions of their Frontis.: Formation flown by instructors of Air previous aviation books, Squadron Histories Service Training Ltd.: Avian IVM, Cadet, Tutor, which first appeared in 1959 has, in this 50th DH.9J, Avro 626, Siskin III, Atlas, Cutty Sark anniversary year of the R.A.F., appeared in its and Avro Five (Flight photograph) second edition. The idea of the book is good, Copy: lacks d.j providing a brief history of every squadron of the R.A.F. and its predecessors … However, in such Notes: pp.573-576 adverts. for Air BP, Putnam that the text tends to concern itself mainly with aeronautical books, Armstrong Whitworth the identities of individual British-built aircraft Argosy, and Shell together with events in their careers … In fact, Volume 2, 1960: there is no doubt that Mr Jackson caters for a pp. [vi] 7-595 + [4] adverts. 597 photos, 81 g.a. more specialized readership than does Mr drawings. Index Thetford. Only a relatively small number of [Other details as for vol. 1] people can be sufficiently interested in obscure Frontis.: air-to-air refuelling by Handley Page historic British civil aircraft to want to follow the Harrow (G-AFRL) to Short S.30 Empire (G- careers of more than a few outstandingly famous AFCU) examples of any particular type. This being so, it Copy: lacks d.j. seems a pity Mr Jackson has not employed his Notes: [4]pp. adverts. for Air BP, Putnam unique collection of photographs and records of aeronautical books, and HMSO (The Aeroplane, almost every aircraft which has ever appeared on Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith) the British civil register … for a more generally Reviews: [Gerald J. Pollinger. Air Pictorial Dec. descriptive work which would have been of 1959 p.444] … this compendious labour of love greater use for reference and might have for the enthusiast. Spoilt … only by some rather appealed to a wider readership. … old-fashioned drawings … and some rather [Peter W. Brooks. Civil Aircraft: A Definitive irritating pagination … this work is a vital link in Work. Flight Int. 26 Aug. 1960, p.303] The the history of the development of aircraft, second volume of Mr Jackson’s massive record particularly in respect of the coverage given to of the complete British civil aircraft register has planes which flew in the twenties and thirties on been awaited with some impatience by all those which so little accurate … information is enthusiasts who acquired Volume I last year. generally available. … a lot of anyone’s money Now that it has been published, the complete for just one book, but the handsome production work can be admired in its entirety … Delving and the contents thereof, albeit in rather stilted into this second volume, one is again impressed prose at times with an indigestion of commas, with the high standards of accuracy and of make it worth every penny. completeness which Mr Jackson has achieved. [P.W.B. Flight, 1 April 1960, p.446] It would be This work is the result of many years of careful interesting to establish the reasons why people recording and accumulating of detailed buy books about aeroplanes as aeroplanes, and information about countless individual not in the context of their uses for particular aeroplanes and it has been compiled into its final purposes. Whatever the reasons, many people published form with that same enthusiastic care must be interested in such books and must be as has been applied to the collecting of the basic buying them in large numbers, in spite of their information over the years. The result is a model relatively high prices, because output has to anybody who may attempt such a task in other increased sharply in recent years. Generally fields – certainly this work is likely to be speaking, the quality of these productions has accepted as definitive in its own. It is difficult to been remarkably high, and highest amongst them foresee a requirement in the future for anything – after Putnam’s monumental “Bruce” - has more than Jackson slightly revised. … been a more popular series from the same [Gerald J. Pollinger. Air Pictorial, August 1960, publisher. The first two of the Putnam series p.274] … completes a remarkable tour-de-force were by Owen Thetford – Aircraft of the raf, …The first volume … has proved to this 1919-1959 and British Naval Aircraft, 1912- reviewer at least of vital interest not when read 1959. That well-known historical authority on for the first, second or even tenth times, but of British civil aircraft, A.J. Jackson, has now value beyond its worth as a ready-reference produced a sequel under the title specified above. guide … This is similar in appearance and format to the [2] 2nd edition 1973-1974: Thetford books, but has proved so large that it [volume 1] 1973. pp. [iv] 5-567. 543 photos, 69 has had to be broken down into two volumes … g.a. drawings, 1 diag. Index. Blue photog. Whereas the Thetford books unambiguously [Trislander G-AYTU] illus. d.j. describe and illustrate aircraft types – and do it Printers: filmset by Richard Clay (The Chaucer extremely well, including brief outlines of each Press) Ltd, Bungay; printed by Fletcher & Son type’s development and subsequent history – Mr Ltd, Norwich Jackson has framed his treatment around Price: £8.50 individual aircraft of each type … This means ISBN: 0 370 10006 9 Contents: A.B.C. to Chilton lists, including every aircraft built for export. A Appendices: A: Lesser-known British-built civil speciall 500 page illustrated Appendix lists the aircraft. B: Military types used for civil most complete documentation yet published on purposes. C: Foreign and Commonwealth types. more than 16,500 individual British registered D: [aircraft for which illustrations not traced]. E: aircraft of over 1000 different types. Register of British civil aircraft. F: Registrations [volume 3] 1974. pp. [x] 11-636. 673 photos, 55 not issued g.a. drawings. Index Frontis.: Prototype, G-AVDF, and three early Printers: William Clowes & Sons Ltd, London, production Beagle Pups near Shoreham power Colchester and Beccles station, in March 1968, G-AVLM flown by Price: £8.50 Beagle chief test pilot J.W.C. ‘Pee-Wee’ Judge ISBN: 0 370 10014 X to whose dedicated development flying and Contents: Hawker Siddeley to Zlin inspired showmanship the Pup owed so much Appendices: as vol. 1, except F: Airships and Copy: ex Bromley Public Libraries free balloons. G: Miscellaneous craft Notes: [p.7] Records maintained by these bodies Frontis.: British European Airways’ Vickers [A.R.B., civil aviation ministries, DTI], by Viking 1B G-AJBR ‘Sir Benham Ramsey’ flying manufacturers, by the author and other over Chatham Dockyard in the Corporation’s historians, make it possible to trace in these three Admiral Class livery in 1951 (BEA photograph) books the evolution of aircraft types, to recall Copy: ex Bromley Public Libraries epic flights and famous pilots, and to mention [cat. 1974-75] ... Similarly arranged Appendixes individually not only every civil aeroplane and illustrate and describe nearly 300 civil types built helicopter produced by Britain’s aircraft industry only in prototype form or in small numbers, over since 1919 but also to enumerate the multiplicity 150 military types flown with civil markings, of imported foreign types, all military aircraft and some 270 imported foreign types. ... flown with civil markings and such one-off [3] [3rd] edition 1987-1988: home-builts as have been registered to date. [volume 1] 2nd ed. 1973 reprinted with [Volume 2] 1973. pp. [iv] 5-560. 508 photos, 57 corrections 1987. An imprint of Conway g.a. drawings. Index. Blue photog. [DH.125 G- Maritime Press. Format as 2nd ed. Wrap-round ATPD] illus. d.j. col. painting on d.j. by Keith Woodcock [A.W. [details as for vol.1] Argosy G-EBOZ over Croydon Aerodrome] ISBN: 0 370 10010 7 Printers: The University Printing House, Oxford Contents: Chrislea to Hawker Siddeley Price: £20 Appendices: as. vol.1, except F: Glider ISBN: 0 85177 808 9 registrations Contents and frontis.: as 2nd ed. Frontis.: The Tiger Club’s Sea Tiger G-AIVW, Notes: p.[iv] First published in 1959 … as a two- in idyllic surroundings at Fritton Decoy, Suffolk, volume study, this work was updated and in the summer of 1971 (A.J. Jackson republished in 1973. Due to the death of the photograph) author it has not been possible to bring this title Copy: ex Bromley Public Libraries up to date but R.T. Jackson has made Notes: [p.7] This volume ... is uniform with the amendments to his father’s second edition so that first and continues the history of all transport and this major reference book can once more be light aircraft designed and built in Britain, or available. Its publication now is offered as a imported for civil use under British ownership, tribute to A.J. Jackson’s many years of research. since the commencement of civilian flying in [cat. 1998] listed as o.p. 1919. ... The small size of Appendix D is a [volume 2] 2nd ed. 1973 reprinted with measure of the photographic completeness corrections 1988. An imprint of Conway achieved ... Maritime Press. Format as for 2nd ed. Wrap- [cat. 1973] A definitive work of reference round col. painting on d.j. by Keith Woodcock covering the entire output of Britain’s civil [DH.88 G-ACSS Grosvenor House] aircraft industry (and of its amateur constructors) [details as for vol. 1] since the commencement of civil flying in 1919. ISBN: 0 85177 813 5 It is an encyclopaedia of British civil aviation Contents and frontis.: as for 2nd ed. which describes 186 major aircraft types, gives [volume 3] 2nd ed. 1974 reprinted with specifications and photographs of all main corrections 1988. An imprint of Conway variants, outlines their development and Maritime Press. Format as for 2nd ed. Wrap- operational histories and presents full production round col. painting on d.j. by Keith Woodcock no technical qualifications, I have avoided [BEA Viscount G-AMOG at Zurich in 1950s] technical details of engineering, equipment or Printers: The University Printing House, Oxford airline operations ... This then is not an official Price: £25 history of B.O.A.C. and its predecessors ... It is ISBN: 0 85177 818 6 offered rather as a portrait of the forty years of Obituary: John A. Bagley. Air Pictorial, Dec. life as an airline. 1982, p.461 Reviews: [J.C.S. Flight, 23 Oct. 1959, p.427] … [cat. 1998] £25. This is a definitive work of an admirable introduction to Britain’s airline reference on the entire output of Britain’s civil industry. Indeed, it is probably true that no other aircraft industry and presents full details of all single book offers such a palatable and types, ranging from single-seat ultra-lights to comprehensive record of British air transport. … heavy jet transports, alphabetically by Even so, the work suffers from two weaknesses. manufacturers and then in logical order of In the first place, less than a quarter of its length designation. has been devoted to the post-war B.O.A.C., and many rewarding fields are consequently 59/3 The seven skies: a study of B.O.A.C. unexplored. … Secondly, the author has – and its forerunners since 1919. John Pudney understandably – refrained from adopting a pp. [viii] 9-320 + 8 plates [19 photos]. Illus. critical attitude towards his subject. … maps on endpapers. Bibliog., index [Gerald J. Pollinger. Air Pictorial Dec. 1959, Printers: Ebenezer Baylis & Son Ltd, Worcester p.444] … this is not a book for the technician or Copy: ex Weston-super-Mare Public Library. the specialist but is one of those all-too-rare Lacks d.j. well-written volumes which can be read in small Notes: The same title had previously been used doses, savoured, put down, taken up again, and in the USA for Item 30/3 continued. … For another Putnam title by Pudney, cf. item 60/4, also one of his poems and comments on SJ. 17.8.04, edited 11.03.05 him and his poetry at item 60/2. In addition to his poetry and these two titles, John Pudney was noted for other well regarded aviation publications. He was author of two official Air Ministry accounts [Atlantic Bridge: the official account of R.A.F. Transport Command’s Ocean Ferry. London: HMSO, 1945. 75pp. Published anonymously; and Laboratory of the Air: an account of the Royal Aircraft Establishment of the Ministry of Supply, Farnborough. London: HMSO, 1948. 64pp.]. He co-edited a book of aviation poetry with Henry Treece [Air Force Poetry. London: John Lane The Bodley Head, 1944. 90pp.] and in 1960 wrote a tribute volume [A Pride of Unicorns: Richard and David Atcherley of the R.A.F. London, Oldbourne, 1960. 240pp.] For Captain Armstrong’s own memoirs of BOAC cf. Armstrong, William: Pioneer Pilot, London: Blandford Press, 1952. [Introdn.] I undertook to write this study of B.O.A.C. and its forerunners at the invitation of Sir Gerard d’Erlanger ... Captain William Armstrong ... was appointed to assist with research and practical advice. With his able and experienced guidance I was given a free hand to tell the story as it presented itself to me as a layman without much specialized knowledge of civil aviation. ... The Seven Skies is thus my own arbitrary selection of elements ... Having myself