Aircraft of the Aces: Legends of the Skies (General Aviation) [Hardcover]

Tony Holmes (Editor), Iain Wyllie (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: General Aviation | Publication Date: October 22, 2004

Following the enormous success of ‘Aircraft of the Aces: Legends of World War 2’, this book celebrates the achievements of some of the world’s most remarkable Aces. Thirty full-colour paintings from Osprey's best selling Aircraft of the Aces series have been reproduced here for the first time, and new text by Aircraft of the Aces series editor Tony Holmes introduces the ace pilot featured in each painting and describes the action depicted. From World War I to Vietnam, this gripping and visually spectacular volume brings together some of the greatest and most daring feats in the history of military flight. Colour aircraft profiles and aircraft specifications complete each one of the book's thirty chapters.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tony Holmes has worked as Osprey's aerospace editor since 1989. He established the critically acclaimed and hugely popular Aircraft of the Aces series in 1994.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (October 22, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841768251
• ISBN-13: 978-1841768250
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,576,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous Collection of Air Combat Artwork and Stories!, March 29, 2006

By 

Michael OConnor "Wordsmith" (Wausau, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Aircraft of the Aces: Legends of the Skies (General Aviation) (Hardcover)

Subtitled 'Legends of the Skies,' this is one stunning book! It combines the wonderful air combat artwork done by Iain Wyllie and Mark Postlethwaite with detailed stories of the actions depicted in the artwork. Something for everyone; what a treat!

The 30-odd paintings featured in this book were drawn from the Osprey "Aircraft of the Aces" series and depict air combat scenes from 1917 to 1973. So you have a sweeping vista ranging from Sopwith Pups to Fokker D VIIs to Hawker Hurricanes, P-51 Mustangs, P-40s, Me 109s, F-86 Sabres and, lastly, McDonnell Douglas F-4s. Much background information is given for each scene along with photos and, in some cases, color profiles of the aircraft.

Buy this book. It is a great introduction to the subject with wonderful artwork, history to back it up and all at a very affordable price.

4.0 out of 5 stars Me 109 and P-40 lovers will love this book!, April 22, 2010

By 

Mishka "VVS Fan" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Aircraft of the Aces: Legends of the Skies (General Aviation) (Hardcover)

Format is 33 stories, each with a pilot bio and aircraft spec block and a few pictures of the pilot and aircraft. Beware 11 of the pilots are either flying P-40s or 109s so if you hate these planes look elsewhere. There are 4 jet stories, 2 Israeli: F-4 and Nesher, and 2 F-86 stories (USAF); 12 WW1 stories, with the remainder going to WW2 including ONLY 1 Soviet VVS story on Kozhedub's White 27 (I want more!). Overall as a used book it is great and the pilot biography and aircraft specs are laid out well. (But really how many times do we need the specs reiterated on a P-40 or 109!!!- wasted space in my estimation!) I got it cheap and I like it so recommend it on those grounds. Full page paintings of the aircraft with no crap printed on them is most excellent.