3 - [AERONAUTICS] PAWLOWSKI, Gaston de. Farman Airplanes. Air Travel.

[AERONAUTICS] PAWLOWSKI, Gaston de. Farman Airplanes. Air Travel. An excellent catalog, in its first edition, promoting air travel through an illustrated overview of the châteaux of the Loire Valley. Paris, Imp. Draeger Frères, 1913. Square quarto, stapled, blue heavy paper cover decorated on the front with the title in brown and a large gold and foil design depicting a rider on Pegasus flying over stylized clouds; double cover on the same blue paper adorned with a border of friezes and the monogram of brothers Henri and Maurice Farman. Braided thread cord, reinforcing the staple, preserved. 31 pp. on coated paper, numerous photographic reproductions, and a double-page spread in color. Cover slightly faded along the margins; rust on the clasp; foxing on the first and last blank pages. First edition. The brothers Henri and Maurice Farman, who until then had designed their aircraft at separate sites in Bouy and Buc, joined forces in 1912 by opening a large, modern production plant in Billancourt. By the end of 1913, the company was operating at full capacity. While Europe was still unaware of the impending First World War—during which the firm would produce more than ten thousand military aircraft for the Allies—this catalog attests to the Farman brothers’ ambition at that time: to develop the concept of “air tourism.” Written by the journalist and sports reporter Gaston de Pawlowski (1874–1933), the publication promotes flight no longer as a daredevil sport or an airshow attraction, but as a modern, luxurious, and safe mode of transportation for the future. The text is structured around the opening map, an aerial route through the Beauce region and the Loire Valley, from Rambouillet to Tours via Châteaudun, before following the river over Chambord, Blois, and Amboise. To illustrate this enchanting flight, the text is accompanied by numerous photographs from the Branger, Meurisse, and Rol agencies. A beautiful full-color double-page spread by René Lelong, titled “Aerial Tourism—Landing at Chambord,” rounds out the illustrations by depicting the Farman biplane in front of the famous château, surrounded by society figures from the Belle Époque. Next, the brochure presents six Farman aircraft, the manufacturing facilities, performance specifications, and finally the price list for the models. A fine copy of this luxurious brochure.