MAX IMMELMANN: THE EAGLE OF LILLE

First English edition, first printing. Publisher's original light blue cloth with gilt titles to the spine, in the Leonard Bridgman illustrated dustwrapper. Illustrated with a black and white portrait frontispiece of German World War I flying ace Max Immelmann and 25 tipped-in black and white photographic plates. With a publisher's notice loosely laid in. A very good copy, the binding square and firm with a little bumping and a touch of fading to the spine. The contents, with a small gift inscription in black ink to the front pastedown have some offsetting to the endpapers and mild spotting throughout. All plates are present as issued, with occasional light toning and spotting. Publisher's catalogue at the rear. Complete with the rubbed, nicked and dust-marked dustwrapper, which is a little chipped to the spine tips and has several short closed tears (secured with tape to the underside). Not price-clipped (8/6 net to the lower front flap).

The definitive biography of German World War I flying ace Max Immelmann, written by his brother Franz. Immelmann is credited with 15 aerial victories and was highly decorated with the first and second class Iron Cross awards and the Pour le Mérite honour (informally named after him as the 'Blue Max'), among many others. He is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory of the war using a synchronized gun (which was really achieved two weeks prior by Kurt Wintgens) but is nonetheless considered a pioneer in fighter aviation, with his name attached to a common flying tactic known as 'The Immelmann Turn'.