Major Christopher Draper (2 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Dust Jacket. First Edition. Hardcover. 231 pages. *** PUBLISHING DETAILS: Air Review, UK, 1962. First Edition. *** CONDITION: This book is in good condition but dust jacket is not included. More specifically: Covers have superficial rubbing/wear. Corners of boards are lightly bumped. Spine has minor lean. Edges of pages are slightly foxed. Pages are lightly tanned. Armed services library stamps on end pages. The rear end page has large dirty marks. Cloth at the top of the spine is torn and wrinkled. *** Quantity Available: 1. Category: Aviation; Biography & Autobiography. Inventory No: 20060032.…

hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Publication: Letchworth, Air Review Limited, 1962 Formatting: 8vo, pp. 231. Condition Report: Very Good. The book is tightly bound in the publisher's original blue cloth, which remains remarkably bright with sharp corners and unoxidised gilt lettering to the spine, indicating minimal shelf-wear. The text block is square and firm; however, the top and fore-edges exhibit moderate foxing, a common occurrence for the paper stock of this period, which occasionally bleeds slightly into the extreme margins of the preliminary pages. The original dust jacket is present and largely well-preserved, though it displays minor rubbing and light edge-wear at the extremities, alongside mild toning and scattered spotting particularly visible on the white rear panel and spine. Internally, the pages are otherwise clean and unmarked, presenting a solid, highly collectable copy. Catalogue Note: First edition, first printing. This gripping autobiography details the life and exploits of a prominent World War I flying ace and controversial aviation pioneer. The text is accompanied by black-and-white photographic plates, including a frontispiece portrait of the author in uniform. Crucially, this copy boasts the author's signature, "C. Draper," boldly executed in his customary green ink on the half-title page. Loosely inserted is an original newspaper clipping from the Daily Telegraph, dated 2nd March 1964, which reports on the revocation of Draper's pilot's licence at the age of 72, a fitting and poignant piece of ephemera forÂThe Mad Major. While unsigned examples of this title appear with moderate frequency, signed copies remain genuinely scarce on the open market and are highly prized by collectors of aviation history. The Mad Major is the thrilling autobiography of Major Christopher Draper, D.S.C., an English airman, actor, and World War I flying ace whose life was defined by relentless adventure and defiance of authority. From his early encounters with aviation pioneers to his daring combat missions and infamous post-war stunts, most notably flying beneath 15 London bridges in 1953, Draper's story captures the golden age of flight. Published to coincide with his seventieth birthday, this compelling memoir offers a firsthand account of a fearless pilot who flatly refused to be grounded. N/A (illustrator). …