SPITFIRE: Icon of a Nation
IVAN RENDALL Book Number: 73383 Product format: Hardback
The Spitfire is an exquisite flying machine, a thing of beauty, designed and built at the forefront of technology, fast, manoeuvrable and deadly in combat. During the Second World War, its distinctive shape quickly became a national icon, a symbol of defiance and the embodiment of the wartime spirit of an embattled island. That image is still strongly with us today. Here is the story of a unique aeroplane seen through the experiences of those who designed, built, flew, serviced, armed and repaired it in war, and have preserved those few that remain ever since. The book explores their enduring affection and admiration for the Spitfire throughout its history, when fewer than 1,000 pilots stood between Britain and invasion. Although the Spitfire and the Hurricane shared the accolades, it was the Spitfire that emerged as the powerful symbol of national defiance. Its vapour trails high in the summer sky above southeast England were living evidence of Britain's aerial prowess, the first step towards ultimate victory. Pilots loved it for its speed and responsiveness, its elegance, and the menacing growl of the Merlin engine - which Britons soon came to recognize, and cheer. We just love this book for the quality both of its text and the superb, emotive pictures that evoke an era when people were proud to be British. 288 pages 27cm x 22cm packed with colour plates and archive b/w photos, with diagrams.
Published price: £25
Bibliophile price: £15.00
