6 - [AERONAUTICS]. DUMAS, Alexandre, and DESMPONS, Robert. Airplanes of 1914–15. A technical study, with dimensioned drawings, of the principal airplanes.

[AERONAUTICS]. DUMAS, Alexandre, and DESMPONS, Robert. Airplanes of 1914–15. A technical study, with dimensioned drawings, of the principal airplanes. First edition of this important technical study of military air fleets at the start of the Great War, illustrated with numerous figures, photographs, and dimensioned drawings of the major aircraft. Paris, Librairie Aéronautique, n.d. [1914]. In-4 (280 x 230 mm), half-shagreen with chocolate-colored corners, ribbed spine adorned with the title and author’s name in gold lettering, publisher and date at the bottom, original covers preserved. Unpaginated, numerous illustrations, photographs, and black-and-white diagrams in the text, 1 large fold-out plate. Rare foxing, slight black marks, and tears along the margins of the original covers. First edition of this technical study of military air forces, published at the start of World War I by Alexandre Dumas, a renowned French aeronautical engineer and journalist of the time, and R.D. Desmons. It includes a detailed presentation of French and Allied aircraft (Nieuport, Spad, Caudron, Voisin, Breguet, Morane-Saulnier), as well as German and Austro-Hungarian models (Etrich Taube, Albatros, Aviatik, Rumpler, Fokker), all illustrated with numerous photographs, diagrams, and dimensioned drawings of the main aircraft. A nice copy.