LANCASTER: The Forging of a Very British Legend.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,illustrated,1st edn. FINE+/FINE+. No owner inscrptn but author's handwritten signature - without dedication to special photographic front free endpaper,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp, clean, part-embossed,colour pictorial artwork by David Moore,illustrated front of dw/dj,with author's capitalised,embossed white-lettered name,similarly title, and similarly too, author credit for another title - 'SPITFIRE',with other white-lettered but flat printed sub-title and critic's review [Andy McNab] all to front panel.Spine/backstrip with similarly coloured+lettered but flat printed,part-title and author name and publisher's capitalised white-lettered name and white illustrated colophon to foot of same with thumbnail colour illustration detail from front to head of spine, rear panel of dw/dj with background detail of front's illustration with montage'd colour illustration and 2 critics' white-lettered reviews.Negligible shelf-wear to edges and corners - no nicks,tears or splits present. Top+fore-edges bright,crisp and unblemished,no foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight and clean - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners - unread other than my own collation. Publisher's bright,crisp,unblemished,sharp-cornered black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt-lettered spine/backstrip,immaculate colour aerial photographic illustrated front endpapers [the two remaining flying condition Lancaster aircraft over Lincoln Cathedral] and rear endpapers with colour artwork illustration of three Lancasters coming in to land at either dusk or dawn,after a bombing raid.UK, 8vo HB+dw/dj,illustrated,1st edn,xii-xiiipp+2-448pp [paginated] includes last 2pp of Ackowledgements, author's Foreword,16 chapters and an Afterword,b/w contemporary aerial and biographical photographs interspersed throughout the text and the book,plus 8pp modern contemporary colour photographs in 1 block,between pp258/59,Endnotes,a 3pp Bibliography,Picture Credits and an Index,followed by an extract from author's 'SPITFIRE' title.Plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,a memoriam,a Contents llist/table,a dedication,and to the rear,as last pages,2pp publisher's b/w illustrated advertisement for author's 'SPITFIRE' and 'TORNADO' titles. Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,is also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation.It really is an exceptional,exemplary example for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of detracting faults. Sir Arthur Harris,the controversial chief of Royal Air Force Bomber Command,described the Lancaster as his 'shining sword' and the 'greatest single factor in winning the war'. RAF bomber squadrons carried out offensive operations from the first day of WW2 until the very last,more than five and half years later.They flew nearly 390,000 sorties and dropped around a million tons of explosive,as well as life-saving supplies.Over 10,000 of their aircraft never returned.Of the 7,377 Lancasters built during the conflict,more than half were lost to enemy action or training accidents. The human cost was staggering.Of the 125,000 men who served in Bomber Command,over 55,000 were killed and another 8,400 were wounded.Some 10,000 survived being shot down,only to become prisoners of war.In simple brutal terms,Harris's aircrew had a mere 40 per cent chance of surviving the war unscathed. Former RAF Tornado Navigator,Gulf WAr veteran and Sunday Times bestselling author John Nihol now tells the inspiring,passionate and profoundly moving story of this legendary British aircraft,the heroic crews who flew her airborne,taking the fight deep into the heart of Nazi Germany during the country's greatest hour of need. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **