signed first edition
1928 · New York
by Amelia Earhart
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1928. Very Good. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1928. First Trade Edition. Signed by Amelia Earhart to recto of frontispiece without inscription. Octavo. 314 pp. Black and white photographs and illustrations. Burgundy cloth stamped in gilt; illustrated endpapers. No dust jacket. Boards show light wear to edges; spine gilt dulled. Gutter at half title starting; a bit shaken but overall binding holding. Minor dampstain to top corner of text block, not extending to pages; a few nicks to fore-edge; interior else unmarked and overall a Very Good copy.
The first of two books by Earhart published during her lifetime, "20 Hrs. 40 Min." follows her experience as a passenger on Friendship, making her the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air, a feat she would accomplish on her own in 1932. Earhart also includes a recollection of her childhood and a chapter on "Women in Aviation," in which she reflects upon flight and its ability to bring communities together:
"Possibly the feature of aviation which may appeal most to thoughtful women is its potentiality for peace. The term is not merely an airy phrase. Isolation breeds distrust and differences of outlook. Anything which tends to annihilate distance destroys isolation, and brings the world and its peoples closer together. I think aviation has a chance to increase intimacy, understanding, and far-flung friendships thus. (Inventory #: 30558)
The first of two books by Earhart published during her lifetime, "20 Hrs. 40 Min." follows her experience as a passenger on Friendship, making her the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air, a feat she would accomplish on her own in 1932. Earhart also includes a recollection of her childhood and a chapter on "Women in Aviation," in which she reflects upon flight and its ability to bring communities together:
"Possibly the feature of aviation which may appeal most to thoughtful women is its potentiality for peace. The term is not merely an airy phrase. Isolation breeds distrust and differences of outlook. Anything which tends to annihilate distance destroys isolation, and brings the world and its peoples closer together. I think aviation has a chance to increase intimacy, understanding, and far-flung friendships thus. (Inventory #: 30558)
