208 résultats
8vo., Fifth Impression; handsomely bound in full navy crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame borders, back with raised bands, second and fourth compartments lettered and ruled in gilt, all other compartments tooled in gilt with 'propeller' motif, gilt top, hand-made endpapers, a most attractive copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. Published four months after the first edition. Arguably the finest account of the Battle of Britain by a British fighter pilot. Hillary flew Spitfires out of Hornchurch with 603 Squadron and claimed five victories before being badly burned over the North Sea. An early member of the Guinea Pig Club, he was treated by McIndoe and returned to duty, but was killed shortly after in a training accident. The work was many times reprinted, but early issues are scarce. The US title is 'Falling Through Space'. Enser, p.157
Single sheet, 8vo., a near fine copy. Signed simply 'Tedder' in the writer's usual manner, the letter is written to Geoffrey Moore, founder of the Buccaneers Cricket Club, and demonstrates the airman's keen and continuing interest in the sport. Tedder was President of Surrey County Cricket Club from 1953 to 1958. The letter regretfully declines Moore's invitation to attend the Buccaneer's annual dinner (held at Lords). Marshal of the RAF Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder (1890-1967) was one of Britain's most distinguished air commanders. Educated at Whitgift School and Magdalene College, Cambridge, he transferred from the Dorsetshire Regiment to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, serving in France from 1915- to 1917 and in Egypt from 1918 to 1919. He was then commissioned in to the (new) Royal Air Force where was appointed Director of Training from 1934 to 1936, after which he became Commander RAF Far Eastern Forces. During WWII he was head of RAF Middle East Command, controlling Allied air operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa, including the evacuation of Crete and the defeat of Rommel; his air power was a vital component of Montgomery's victory at El Alamein. Having been promoted to Air Marshal, Tedder then took part in the early planning for D-Day, and was subsequently appointed Deputy Supreme Commander Allied Forces Europe (the most senior such British position) immediately beneath General Eisenhower, on whose behalf he signed at the German Surrender in 1945. In 1947 he delivered the Lees Knowles lecture, afterwards published as 'Air Power in War'. Following his retirement he served as Chancellor of Cambridge University and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC. Founded in 1930, The Buccaneers is one of the oldest and most famous 'wandering' clubs in English cricket (a 'wandering' club has no fixed home ground but plays consistently as an 'away' team relying on the hospitality of the 'home' clubs against which it competes). The Club's history has been written twice, by Clifford Bax in 1956 and more recently by Howard Spencer. ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY TEDDER ARE EXTREMELY SCARCE.
8vo., First Edition; handsomely bound in full navy crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame borders, back with raised bands, second and fourth compartments lettered and ruled in gilt, all other compartments tooled in gilt with 'propeller' motif, gilt top, hand-made endpapers, a most attractive copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. Arguably the finest account of the Battle of Britain by a British fighter pilot. Hillary flew Spitfires out of Hornchurch with 603 Squadron and claimed five victories before being badly burned over the North Sea. An early member of the Guinea Pig Club, he was treated by McIndoe and returned to duty, but was killed shortly after in a training accident. The work was many times reprinted, but early issues are scarce. The US title is 'Falling Through Space'. Enser, p.157
8vo., First Edition, with frontispiece and 24 plates on 12; handsomely bound in full navy crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame border, back with raised bands ruled in gilt, second and fourth compartments lettered in gilt, all other compartments tooled in gilt with a propeller motif, hand-made endpapers, ribbon marker, a most attractive copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. Written by Paul Brickhill (already celebrated as the author of another RAF classic 'The Dam Busters', 1951), 'Reach for the Sky' remains the best account of the legless Battle of Britain hero. It was the basis of Lewis Gilbert's hugely successful feature film (1954) starring Kenneth More in arguably his finest role. One of the legendary figures of the Royal Air Force, Douglas Bader was from the outset an outstanding athlete. As a cadet at Cranwell he gained his 'blues' for cricket, rugby, hockey and boxing. He represented the RAF at both cricket and rugby and would probably have been capped for England but for the accident that changed his life and created a legend. In 1931 a near-fatal air crash left him legless. Knowing that no man with such a handicap had ever walked without a stick he nevertheless found his way back to fitness playing tennis, golf and many others sports. He even flew again, until the authorities determined that a pilot without legs could not fly and discharged him from the service. With the outbreak of War he fought to be readmitted, not merely to a desk job, but back to the cockpit. Finally he was given command of a flight which quickly increased to five squadrons as the RAF realised that he was not only an outstanding pilot but an inspired leader of men and a fighter tactician almost of genius. Even as a POW his spirit was such that his captors were forced at one stage to remove his artificial limbs to prevent the chance of his escaping. Enser, p.375.
5 vols., 8vo., First Edition, with photographs in the text; cloth, gilt backs, a near fine set in unclipped dustwrapper. The set comprises: Vol. I: September 1939 to September 1940 (1996); Vol. 2: September 1940 to December 1941 (1998); Vol. 3: January 1942 to June 1943 (2001); Vol. 4: July 1943 to June 1944 (2002); Vol. 5: June 1944 to May 1945 (2004). Complete sets of the first edition of this standard reference are very scarce.
8vo., Third Impression, with portrait frontispiece and 11 plates on 8; blue cloth, backstrip lettered in black, backstrip faintly sunned else a very good, bright, clean copy in unclipped dustwrapper, the latter mildly rubbed at extremities. SIGNED BY EMBRY ON FRONTISPIECE. Bright copy of one of the earliest and most popular RAF escape stories of WWII, published just a month after the first edition. Shot down near St. Omer, Embry made his return to England via Spain just nine weeks and five days later. He subsequently commanded 2 Group Bomber Command, and although ranked Air Vice Marshal flew several operations under the name 'Wing Commander Smith'. His Mosquitos were renowned for their skill and accuracy in precision daylight bombing, and he would have led personally Operation JERICHO - the raid on Amiens prison in February 1944 (in which his substitute Pickard was killed) - had higher authority not ordered him to stand down. Post-war, Embry served as Commander-in-Chief Fighter Command from 1949 to 1953. SIGNED COPIES ARE EXCEEDINGLY SCARCE. We are told that this copy was signed by Embry for Wing Commander Tom 'Ginger' Neil (Battle of Britain ace and RAF test pilot), but there is no formal evidence to this effect. Enser, p.151 (recording the first edition).
8vo., Sixth Impression, with frontispiece and 24 plates on 12; handsomely bound in burgundy full crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame border, back with raised bands ruled in gilt, second and fourth compartments lettered in gilt, all other compartments tooled in gilt with a propeller motif, hand-made endpapers, a most attractive copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. SIGNED BY BADER ON DEDICATION. Published five months after the first impression. Written by Paul Brickhill (already celebrated as the author of another RAF classic 'The Dam Busters', 1951), 'Reach for the Sky' remains the best account of the legless Battle of Britain hero. It was the basis of Lewis Gilbert's hugely successful feature film (1954) starring Kenneth More in what was arguably his finest role. One of the legendary figures of the Royal Air Force, Douglas Bader was from the outset an outstanding athlete. As a cadet at Cranwell he gained his 'blues' for cricket, rugby, hockey and boxing. He represented the RAF at both cricket and rugby and would probably have been capped for England but for the accident that changed his life and created a legend. In 1931 a near-fatal air crash left him legless. Knowing that no man with such a handicap had ever walked without a stick he nevertheless found his way back to fitness playing tennis, golf and many others sports. He even flew again, until the authorities determined that a pilot without legs could not fly and discharged him from the service. With the outbreak of War he fought to be readmitted, not merely to a desk job, but back to the cockpit. Finally he was given command of a flight which quickly increased to five squadrons as the RAF realised that he was not only an outstanding pilot but an inspired leader of men and a fighter tactician almost of genius. Even as a POW his spirit was such that his captors were forced at one stage to remove his artificial limbs to prevent the chance of his escaping. Enser, p.375 (recording the first edition)
Single sheet, 8vo., a near fine copy. Signed simply 'Tedder' in the writer's usual manner, the letter is written to Geoffrey Moore, founder of the Buccaneers Cricket Club, and demonstrates the airman's keen and continuing interest in the sport. Tedder was President of Surrey County Cricket Club from 1953 to 1958. The letter regretfully declines Moore's invitation to attend the Buccaneer's annual dinner (held at Lords): 'I've already got a date I can't budge!'. Marshal of the RAF Arthur William Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder (1890-1967) was one of Britain's most distinguished air commanders. Educated at Whitgift School and Magdalene College, Cambridge, he transferred from the Dorsetshire Regiment to the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, serving in France from 1915- to 1917 and in Egypt from 1918 to 1919. He was then commissioned in to the (new) Royal Air Force where was appointed Director of Training from 1934 to 1936, after which he became Commander RAF Far Eastern Forces. During WWII he was head of RAF Middle East Command, controlling Allied air operations in the Mediterranean and North Africa, including the evacuation of Crete and the defeat of Rommel; his air power was a vital component of Montgomery's victory at El Alamein. Having been promoted to Air Marshal, Tedder then took part in the early planning for D-Day, and was subsequently appointed Deputy Supreme Commander Allied Forces Europe (the most senior such British position) immediately beneath General Eisenhower, on whose behalf he signed at the German Surrender in 1945. In 1947 he delivered the Lees Knowles lecture, afterwards published as 'Air Power in War'. Following his retirement he served as Chancellor of Cambridge University and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Governors of the BBC. Founded in 1930, The Buccaneers is one of the oldest and most famous 'wandering' clubs in English cricket (a 'wandering' club has no fixed home ground but plays consistently as an 'away' team relying on the hospitality of the 'home' clubs against which it competes). The Club's history has been written twice, by Clifford Bax in 1956 and more recently by Howard Spencer. ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS SIGNED BY TEDDER ARE EXTREMELY SCARCE.