2 - [AERONAUTICS]. Henry & Maurice Farman Biplanes and Monoplanes.

[AERONAUTICS]. Henry & Maurice Farman Biplanes and Monoplanes. A beautiful advertising brochure, symbolic of the early days of civil aviation. Paris, Imp. Draeger, n.d. [1911]. In-4, bound with a gray cord, cover of sturdy gray paper, front cover adorned with a large blue-and-silver design consisting of a frame of geometric lines and two eagles flanking the title. 19 pp. on coated paper, numerous photographic reproductions, initial letters, double golden-yellow border framing the pages. Skinning on the first two and last two leaves. First edition. The introduction opens with an appeal from the Farman Brothers “To Sportsmen,” celebrating the “modern Argonauts of the conquest of the air.” In it, they reflect on the progress made in just four years, from their first flight of 300 meters in 1907 to their distance record of 722 kilometers on September 1, 1911. As pioneers, the Farman brothers now sought to usher in a new era: that of passenger flights and city-to-city travel. They present their rigorous methodology as well as their two aviation centers in Buc and Étampes, whose industrial operations would be consolidated in 1912 into a single large factory in Billancourt. The book continues with a technical presentation of their biplane and monoplane models, followed by a list of licensed pilots who flew Farman aircraft, the official table of their performance and established records, and finally the price list for the various models. In excellent condition.