Flying: The Weekly Aviation Journal. 1917- 1919 - A Complete Definitive Run of Volumes 1 through 6 (All Published)

First edition. A magnificent, unbroken historical record of the premier British wartime weekly aviation periodical, tracking the monumental evolution of combat airpower through the height of the First World War to the dawn of commercial flight. This complete set comprises Volumes 1 and 2 bound together in contemporary deep blue cloth spanning 24th January 1917 to 16th January 1918, Volumes 3 and 4 bound together in dark boards spanning January 1918 to December 1918, and Volumes 5 and 6 bound together in dark boards spanning January 1919 to August 1919. The bound sequence is accompanied by a rare survival of 7 to 8 delicate, loose final weekly issues from the late summer of 1919, complete with their highly fragile, original illustrated outer newsstand covers intact. Three heavy, uniform quarto bound volumes (\(295 \times 220\text{ mm}\)). Volumes 1 & 2 are bound in contemporary deep blue cloth with the spine lettered in gilt, while Volumes 3 & 4 and Volumes 5 & 6 are bound in matching dark contemporary boards with titles stamped cleanly to the front covers. The work is heavily illustrated throughout with hundreds of rare full-page photographic plates, frontline aerial reconnaissance graphics, structural aircraft blueprints, casualty rolls, and honorary pilot portraits. Historical Significance:
Launched by the prestigious Land and Water press at the absolute nadir of the air war on the Western Front, Flying was engineered to document the rapid technological advancements of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). This complete set meticulously chronicles the devastating battles of "Bloody April" 1917, the historic amalgamation and birth of the Royal Air Force (RAF) on 1st April 1918, and the immediate post-armistice transition into civil transatlantic exploration—climaxing with the Alcock and Brown non-stop transatlantic flight engineering breakdowns in mid-1919. Crucially, the final loose issues preserve highly localized post-war commercial advertisements, including the localized stampings of Rayner & Co. Patent Agents of 5, Chancery Lane, London, documenting the frenzied rush to secure peacetime civil aviation patents. The three bound volumes are in very good condition with tight, structurally square, and sound bindings. The spines are gently sunned with minor shelf-wear to the edges, and the internal text blocks remain bright and exceptionally clean, retaining the heavy, glossy photo paper inserts. As was standard for library preservation at the time of contemporary binding, the outer commercial covers were stripped prior to binding. The final loose issues are fragile but complete, showing typical edge-fraying, minor chipping, and natural age-toning to the cheaper post-war newsprint stock, and are now safely housed in archival, acid-free protective sleeves. An exceptionally scarce archival asset. Complete, unbroken runs across the 1917–1919 publishing lifecycle are virtually non-existent on the open market. With illustrations by W. Heath Robinson . A Scrare complete set, complete with 8/9 original copies in parts with front and rear covers.