Knights of the Air is a Time-Life aviation book included in the Epic of Flight series. “War in the air,” trumpeted a poster for Britain’s Royal Flying Corps, “recalls the olden times, when knights rode forth to battle and won honour and glory by their deeds of personal heroism.” The fledgling military air services had no trouble finding volunteers for a life that promised romance, action, adventures and opportunities for glorious achievement. This promise on the posters did not entirely misrepresent the lot of the WWI aviator. Their feats were glorified far beyond those of comrades in the trenches but, like them, they died in huge numbers. What began as an adventure became increasingly lethal and unglamorous, with little mercy for an overmatched or disabled foe. Before the Great War ended, one much-decorated knight of the air declared that, if anything, he felt like a “hired assassin.”
This copy is in Good condition. There is some coloring and spotting of the page edges. There is some staining of the cover (see pictures). There is some minor shelf wear. As usual, the book pictured is the one you will receive.