About this Item
A particularly appealing association copy of the classic biography of Alaska aviation pioneer Robert Campbell "Bob" Reeve (1902-1980), extensively inscribed and signed by Reeve himself on the front flyleaf to a U.S. Air Force major and his companion. The copyright page explicitly states "Published, May, 1957 / Second Printing, January, 1961," making the edition unambiguous. Illustrated throughout with historic photographs of Reeve, his aircraft, fellow pilots, mining operations and glacier flying, with map endpapers depicting Alaska, Valdez, and the surrounding airfields and glaciers. Reeve's career is genuinely significant in aviation history: the National Aviation Hall of Fame credits him with pioneering glacier operations in Alaska, surveying Aleutian military airfield sites, wartime flying, and subsequently founding Reeve Aleutian Airways. He was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 1975.
The inscription is unusually long and personal rather than the customary signature or brief presentation. Written in blue ink across most of the flyleaf, it is addressed "To my good friends Major Bill and that fair charmer Andy Studebaker" and sends Reeve's good wishes for their service in the United States Air Force, adding special remembrance of "our lunch together on my birthday Mar. 27, 1964 during the great Alaska earthquake!" It closes with warm personal regards and the statement that "Tille joins me!", followed by Reeve's large signature. Reeve's birth date was indeed March 27, 1902, making the inscription's earthquake reference remarkable: he was celebrating his 62nd birthday on the very day of the 1964 Alaska earthquake. The notation above the inscription appears to reference Shemya / Aleutians / Alaska and is dated 5-8-'64, apparently placing the presentation only weeks after the earthquake.
The book is Very Good, with a firm binding and generally clean interior; moderate age-toning is visible at the text-block edges, and there are remnants from old adhesive on portions of the map endpapers. The textured pale boards remain attractive, with modest age wear and discoloration, particularly to the spine. The original photographic dust jacket is Good, complete enough to retain substantial visual appeal but decidedly worn: several tears and creases, chips and losses along the spine ends and upper edge, rubbing and edge wear, and old tape/adhesive staining to the verso/flaps. The original $4.75 price remains visible on the front flap. Jacket design is explicitly credited on the flap to Ben Feder, Inc. The battered jacket actually feels quite at home on a book about aircraft landing on glaciers.
Reeve was not merely the book's subject: he was one of the formative figures of Alaskan bush aviation. The National Park Service describes his glacier- and mudflat-flying work around Valdez and the Wrangell Mountains and notes that his later Reeve Aleutian Airways pioneered commercial routes from Anchorage through the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian chain. The National Aviation Hall of Fame further records his wartime work in the Aleutians and his later airline career.
Beth Day (Beth Day Romulo, 1924-2022) was an American journalist, biographer, and nonfiction writer known for immersive accounts of adventurous lives and remote places. In researching Glacier Pilot, Day traveled twice to Alaska, spent months interviewing Bob Reeve and his fellow bush pilots, and flew with them across Alaska and into the Aleutians. Her close access to Reeve made the book an important early biographical account of his career, and later historians of Alaskan aviation have continued to cite it as a source.
Seller Inventory # NF.DAY.1961.1
Contact seller
Report this item
