U.S. NAVY AIRCRAFT 1921 - 1941 with U.S. MARINE CORPS AIRCRAFT 1914 - 1959 by Larkins, William T

1988 reprint, 2 volumes in one, of 1959 & 1961 editions, hard bound w/dj, 6x9, VG/VG CONDITION, glossy page stock, 594 pages, over 1,000 photos. index.------------------------------------------------------------------------More than twenty-five years after their first publication, William T. Larkins's illustrated surveys of Navy and Marine Corps aircraft remain two of the most valuable books about these airplanes ever written. First published in 1959 and 1961, and long out of print, these two volumes have become classics eagerly sought in the rare-book market by aviation buffs worldwide. They have become the criteria against which serious aviation research is measured. With over 1,000 photographs combined, they remain the definitive record of the formative years for Navy and Marine Corps aviation.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Larkins's emphasis throughout is on squadron use, experimental and one-of-a-kind types, insignia, colors and marking schemes, technical innovations, and the service duty and tactical deployment of the various aircraft. During these years, the Navy and Marine Corps developed several different programs for colors and markings, and these are covered in exhaustive detail. Larkins was fully aware as he was assembling these books that, because of the Navy's practice of continually renumbering and reshuffling its squadrons, he was preserving valuable historical information that would soon become impossible to reconstruct.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The books are arranged chronologically, and feature an aircraft assignment table for each year indicating which aircraft and which squadrons were assigned to specific locations. For a new generation of aviation researchers and buffs, many of whom may never have seen an airplane with two wings, U. S. Navy Aircraft 1921-1941 and U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft 1914-1959 are vital additions to any serious aviation library, and a wonderful trip back into the Golden Era of aviation.