Dust jacket notes: "'England is no longer an island.' These prophetic words of an English newspaper magnate acknowledged that the invention of the airplane meant an end to Britain's traditional reliance upon its sea power as a protection against invasion. No government paid more attention to the early activities of the Wright brothers than the British, but British negotiations with the Wrights present a record of lost opportunities and missed chances, mingled with ineptness and duplicity. The story is told here in all its colorful detail, including the British use of a bungling spy who managed to miss the successful first flight of the Wrights in December 1903, and a later attempt by C. S. Rolls, the cofounder of the Rolls-Royce motor car company, to steal the Wrights' technical secrets. Throughout these years, high-level infighting - involving such eminent figures as Winston Churchill, Lloyd George, Admiral Fisher, General Haig, and Lord Northcliffe - repeatedly threatened to bring the whole effort to a standstill. In 1909, Britain's Secretary of State for War, who was secretly banking on the purloined secrets to be supplied by Rolls, broke off negotiations, thus closing the first chapter in Britain's aeronautical history. The British then began air defense preparations on their own, an endeavor that proved to be of the greatest importance in the two World Wars."
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Seller: AardBooks, Fitzwilliam, NH, U.S.A.
Condition: Near Fine/VG+. 1st. 8vo. 478pp. Tiny ding to DJ rear/spine corner. Nice copy. Seller Inventory # MAIN014861I
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Seller: Chaparral Books, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First Edition. Sound copy. Slight shelf wear to Dj. Dj in mylar. Seller Inventory # NOWgolNLI
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Seller: Cottage Street Books, Greenwich, NY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. 1984. Stanford University Press. 8vo. Hardcover. Fine in fine DJ. Seller Inventory # K1200
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Seller: Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Torn/worn dj. Good hardcover with some shelfwear; may have previous owner's name inside. Standard-sized. Seller Inventory # mon0000200100
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Seller: G. & J. CHESTERS, TAMWORTH, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Included. 478p a vg hbk in a vg dw Analyses the way British people reacted to the first appearance of aeroplane: fear of air attack/invasion and the beginnings of Air Defence preparations. Seller Inventory # 30170
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Seller: Barter Books Ltd, Alnwick, NORTH, United Kingdom
Grey hardback cloth cover. Condition: VG : in very good condition. First US Edition. 240mm x 160mm (9" x 6"). x, 478pp. With dust jacket. Seller Inventory # j4186
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Seller: Half Price Books Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_409500302
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Seller: Jerry Merkel, XENIA, OH, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Very good with very good dust jacket. Book and dust jacket are bumped at spine tips and corners. Dust jacket is also lightly bumped along top edges and has some light surface scratches. 478 pages with index. Seller Inventory # 22229
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Seller: Kisselburg Military Books, Potomac, MD, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. 1st Edition. very nice copy. Seller Inventory # 038451
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Seller: Woodlands Aviation, Bridgnorth, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Seller Inventory # ABE-1708007015866
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