Chronicle of Aviation
Chronicle of Aviation (Collectible First Edition)
A High-Impact, News-Style Cinematic Encyclopedia of Flight and Aerospace Evolution
A High-Impact, News-Style Cinematic Encyclopedia of Flight and Aerospace Evolution
Bibliographic Specifications
- Title: Chronicle of Aviation
- Author / Editor-in-Chief: Bill Gunston (with M. J. Armitage, Mark S. Pyle, and Capt. Édouard Chemel)
- Publisher: Chronicle Communications Ltd / JL International Publishing, London
- Publication Date: 1992
- ISBN-10: 1872031307 / ISBN-13: 9781872031309
- Edition Details: First Edition, First Impression. Massive, premium journalistic transport archive.
- Binding: Hardcover with original publisher's dark-blue cloth boards, housed in the original large-scale pictorial dust jacket under a protective archive cellophane wrapper.
- Physical Format: Heavy Quarto Format (Oversized 4to), 984 pages. Profusely illustrated with thousands of high-definition full-colour and historical monochrome photographs, annual structural profiles, propulsion charts, and technical indexes.
- Language: English (Translated/Adapted from the original French Chronique de l'aviation).
Official Condition Report
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The Book: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Exterior / Boards: The original publisher's blue cloth boards are structurally sound, square, and firm across all edges. The spine is completely straight, robust, tightly bound, and remains structurally undamaged with clear, bright lettering.
- Interior: Exceptional and pristine. The 984 internal text blocks are completely clean and fully intact. Free from handling soils, ink highlights, fingerprint marks, or previous owner inscriptions. Shows uniform, natural age-related browning and paper tanning across all margins, entirely standard for heavy 1990s reference art-stock of this specific scale and serving as an authentic mark of its vintage provenance.
- Protection: This massive, heavy volume has been beautifully maintained and looked after thus far, now preserved under a professional, removable archival-grade cellophane sleeve.
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The Dust Jacket: Very Good Plus (VG+)
- Condition: The original oversized illustrated dust jacket is complete and unclipped. It exhibits only very slight, microscopic signs of standard shelf storage wear along the extreme corners, completely free of chips, deep tears, or sun fading.
Synopsis & Historical Value
Published in 1992, Chronicle of Aviation is a monumental, encyclopedic masterwork that charts the complete timeline of human flight with unprecedented narrative urgency. Utilizing a fascinating, trademark "chronicle" format, the book records major aerospace events as if they had just occurred, delivering the thrill of historical breakthroughs in real-time. The massive chronology begins in the year 1500 with early conceptual sketches, tracking the evolution of primitive hot-air balloons, the harsh aerial combat arenas of World War I and World War II, the dawn of commercial jet liners, and the cutting-edge experimental combat aircraft of the late 20th century. Each calendar year opens with a dedicated summary page mapping out unbroken flight records and milestones, followed by a sequence of highly illustrated, front-page style articles. Thoroughly indexed and cross-referenced with sections on engine mechanics and historical airline profiles, this massive volume serves as an invaluable reference atlas and a prized collector's piece for serious aviation bibliophiles.
Published in 1992, Chronicle of Aviation is a monumental, encyclopedic masterwork that charts the complete timeline of human flight with unprecedented narrative urgency. Utilizing a fascinating, trademark "chronicle" format, the book records major aerospace events as if they had just occurred, delivering the thrill of historical breakthroughs in real-time. The massive chronology begins in the year 1500 with early conceptual sketches, tracking the evolution of primitive hot-air balloons, the harsh aerial combat arenas of World War I and World War II, the dawn of commercial jet liners, and the cutting-edge experimental combat aircraft of the late 20th century. Each calendar year opens with a dedicated summary page mapping out unbroken flight records and milestones, followed by a sequence of highly illustrated, front-page style articles. Thoroughly indexed and cross-referenced with sections on engine mechanics and historical airline profiles, this massive volume serves as an invaluable reference atlas and a prized collector's piece for serious aviation bibliophiles.
Author Profile: Bill Gunston
Bill Gunston OBE (1927–2013) was an exceptionally prominent British aviation historian, military scholar, and former Royal Air Force pilot who is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and authoritative aerospace authors of the 20th century. Over a decorated career spanning several decades, Gunston authored over 350 books and thousands of technical articles, serving as a key editor for Jane's All the World's Aircraft and Flight International. Renowned for his uncompromising technical fidelity, deep historical research, and highly engaging journalistic prose style, his reference works remain foundational texts across academic, professional, and private collector libraries globally.
Bill Gunston OBE (1927–2013) was an exceptionally prominent British aviation historian, military scholar, and former Royal Air Force pilot who is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and authoritative aerospace authors of the 20th century. Over a decorated career spanning several decades, Gunston authored over 350 books and thousands of technical articles, serving as a key editor for Jane's All the World's Aircraft and Flight International. Renowned for his uncompromising technical fidelity, deep historical research, and highly engaging journalistic prose style, his reference works remain foundational texts across academic, professional, and private collector libraries globally.
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