Between the Covers

Hardcover. Two photograph albums containing relatively early British aviation transport photos. The first album is 8” x 10” green leather-grained cloth with gilt titles and art-nouveau stylized leaf motif. The second is 8.5” x 10” re-backed in brown leather over textured paper-covered boards with gilt titles. Very good or better. The albums contain over 300 photographs of shipping and civil aircraft subjects taken between 1940-1948 presumably presided over by a distinguished gentleman pictured in the uniform of a First Officer of the Air Transport Auxiliary. Most of the images are labeled with the names of the aircraft and locations, some with dates, and include images inside cockpits. Included are a small number of Fleet Air Arm images of aircraft at various locations through the United Kingdom and Europe; Channel Islands, Schiphol, and Lyons. Some photographs include scenes of North East Britain, such as the River Tyne and Spiller’s Wharf. Of particular interest among the civil aviation archive are photographs of the Miles Aerovan operated by Air Contractors Ltd, which ran charter freight flights in the late 1940s. They were the first commercial company to transport a British car by air, a later Frazer-Nash car is shown in some photographs. There is also a photo of the company transporting a cow! Other companies featured include, Air Taxis Ltd, Air Charters, and Air Enterprises Ltd, the latter company’s machine photographed with actor Basil Radford after the filming of *Whisky Galore!* in 1948. Also featured are photographs of ocean liners, warships, and cargo ships many named and labeled by city of destination, as well as a number of personal photographs. A fascinating archive of civil and naval aviation spanning the latter years of World War II and the early post-war periods, depicting the expanding development of transportation resources.

Item #390480