BIPLANE TO MONOPLANE: Aircraft Development 1919-39 (History of Aircraft) [Hardcover]

Philip Jarrett (Author)

Book Description

Series: History of Aircraft | Publication Date: July 1, 1997

This is a study of aircraft, from biplanes to monoplanes between the years 1919-39. The book is part of a 12-volume series, which covers the production and operation of aircraft worldwide. Each volume is devoted to essays on aircraft types, their development and option, systems and equipment. As well as outlining developments.

Each article seeks to explain why progress was in a particular direction, emphasizing the political, strategic or economic factors that dictated that development. Moving from the general to the specific, graphs and tabular data relating to typical or significant aircraft or allied subjects are provided in each section. ?The series concentrates on the development of aircraft from the viewpoint of their technical development, the effect of technical development on the use of aircraft, and the effect of their usage on technical development.

Contributors to this title include: Ken Munson, John Stround, Ted Hooton, Peter Hearn, Norman Friedman, Darrol Stinton, Patrick Hassell, Mike Hirst, Morman Barfield, Harry Woodman, Ralph Barker, Sebastian Ritchie and Christopher Shores.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Aeronautical; First Edition, First Printing. edition (July 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851778747
• ISBN-13: 978-0851778747
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good introduction, December 31, 2004

By 

Emmanuel Gustin (Mechelen, Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BIPLANE TO MONOPLANE: Aircraft Development 1919-39 (History of Aircraft) (Hardcover)

This is a good introduction to an age of great change in aviation. As is normal in a volume out of a series that wants to be a complete history of aviation, this book is rather encyclopedic in nature. That means that in some chapters all detail is sacrificed to create a complete overview, which tends towards the boring. This tendency is balanced, however, by very informative chapters on such specialized subjects as the development of the retractable landing gear, which make the book interesting even for readers who already know a lot of the history of aviation. Overall it is a successful combination.

Every chapter is written by a different author, and the quality of the text varies with the author's knowledge of the subject. The chapters on structures and landing gear development betray deep interest and personal involvement. In the chapter on aircraft armament, on the other hand, numerous errors betray a lack of knowledge about the subject, and one almost feels for the unfortunate writer who was asked to compile this.

This is a handsome and interesting book; though more a work of reference than an engrossing read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good review, but a little too British, March 6, 2010

By 

James Pernikoff (Marietta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BIPLANE TO MONOPLANE: Aircraft Development 1919-39 (History of Aircraft) (Hardcover)

The entire History of Aircraft is a worthwhile series, mainly because it features chapters written by a variety of writers, each (supposedly) a specialist on the topic in question. And the distribution of subjects, some more technical than others, is fairly well-done.

However, in this volume in particular, the emphasis on British aircraft and their design is a bit excessive. Yes, the series is British, but I'm sure that Putnam intended it for worldwide distribution, and there should have been a better attempt made at balance.

Unfortunately, only 6 of the 12 intended volumes in the series were published before then-current imprint owner Chrysalis decided to get out of the book business. I hope eventually that current imprint owner Anova decides to at least publish the remaining books in the series.