Military Aeroplanes; Simplified, Enlarged. An Explanatory Consideration of Their Characteristics. Performances, Construction, Maintenance, and Operation

Boston, MA: W.S. Best, 1918. First Edition. Octavo. 26.5cm. Publisher's bright green cloth titled and decorated in gilt to spine and front board. 202pp. Strong, solid and handsome, some toning to spine and an old paper library label to tail; internally clean and fresh, front hinge a little cosmetically cracked, bookplate of the Library of the Army War College to front pastedown, additional pencil library marks to contents leaf including a withdrawal stamp dated 1939, numerous plates, some folding. A very good solid copy of a book that for some time in the early twentieth century was an indispensable reference work.

Grover Cleveland Loening was one of those pioneering entrepreneurs of aviation who seems to have started out strong and just ascended from there. He managed a factory for the Wright Brothers in Dayton, became chief aeronautical engineer for the army, published this work, became vice president of the Sturtevant Aeroplane Co., founded his own company, and occupied major roles in military and civilian aviation up to WW2 when he was a consultant for Grumman, and an advisor for the N.A.C.A.