first edition
1931 · New York
by [Amelia Earhart] Juan de la Cierva, Don Rose
New York: Brewer, Warren, and Putnam, 1931. First Edition. First Edition. Copy belonging to pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, with her ownership signature on the half-title page. Earhart was married to one of the book's publisher's, G.P. Putnam, at the time of the book's publication.
An account of the creation of the autogiro, an experimental rotorcraft predating the modern helicopter, co-written by the machine's inventor, Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva.
On May 29, 1931, Earhart became the first woman to pilot an autogiro, the Pitcairn autogiro owned by Beech-Nut Packing Company, embarking on a coast-to-coast trip across the US. The craft was known by many as "the Black Maria" due to its propensity for life-threatening accidents, and required frequent stops due to its 52-gallon fuel capacity, but was described by Earhart as "the answer to an aviator's prayer."
Earhart set the first autogiro altitude record, and would go on to set numerous records for women's speed-and-distance aviation between 1930 and 1935. Her legendary final flight in 1937, part of her attempt to fly around the world, resulted in her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean—and remains unsolved to this day.
Near Fine, lacking the dust jacket, with light wear and very faint evidence of label removal on the front endpaper. (Inventory #: 163829)
An account of the creation of the autogiro, an experimental rotorcraft predating the modern helicopter, co-written by the machine's inventor, Spanish engineer Juan de la Cierva.
On May 29, 1931, Earhart became the first woman to pilot an autogiro, the Pitcairn autogiro owned by Beech-Nut Packing Company, embarking on a coast-to-coast trip across the US. The craft was known by many as "the Black Maria" due to its propensity for life-threatening accidents, and required frequent stops due to its 52-gallon fuel capacity, but was described by Earhart as "the answer to an aviator's prayer."
Earhart set the first autogiro altitude record, and would go on to set numerous records for women's speed-and-distance aviation between 1930 and 1935. Her legendary final flight in 1937, part of her attempt to fly around the world, resulted in her disappearance over the Pacific Ocean—and remains unsolved to this day.
Near Fine, lacking the dust jacket, with light wear and very faint evidence of label removal on the front endpaper. (Inventory #: 163829)
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