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OLIVE.DFC., GORDON: : SPITFIRE ACE - My Life as a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot

UK.STROUD,GLOUCESTERSHIRE.AMBERLEY PUBLISHING,2015.

ISBN 9781445644240.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn. FINE/FINE. No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,matt,colour artwork paintings by author,illustrated dw/dj panels with capitalised white-lettered part title and other white-lettered sub-title and capitalised,reddish-brown lettered author's name+award (DFC) to front of dw/dj; spine/backstrip with similarly coloured+ lettered part-title as front's; but with capitalised white-lettered author's name+award (DFC) and publisher's white illustrated colophon to foot of same,rear panel of dw/dj with a different colour painting by the author with white-lettered synopsis.Negligible shelf-wear, bumping,creasing to edges and corners – one tiny snick/closed tear on rear,top edge - towards vicinity of rear top corner - but no other nicks,tears or splits present.Top+fore-edges bright and clean without foxing/spotting; contents bright,tight,clean,solid and sound – no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corner tips – appears unread,apart from my own collation.Publisher's bright,crisp,clean/ unblemished,sharp-cornered,original plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt lettering to spine/backstrip,and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,6- 287pp [paginated] includes verso of Contents page,a Preface as an Address by Quentin Bryce AC,CVO,Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia,an Introduction by Dennis Newton,20 chapters and an Epilogue,32pp contemporary b/w biographical photographs,other colour photographs and colour paintings by the author in 1 block,between pp192/93,Notes,a Glossary & Abbreviations,Appendices (7 - the last being facsimile b/w reproductions of Logbook Entries: July - December,1940),and an Illustrations list/ table.Plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages, and to the rear,as reverse of last page, publisher's thumbnail b/w book covers of other Battle of Britain-related,published titles.      Visually the exterior appearance is exceptional and particularly internally,also in an exceptional condition/state of preservation and presentation,for a book of its 8 year-old age book.It is only the minor fault described that prevents a slightly higher grading overall. Despite that,it really is still an exceptional copy for its cleanliness,brightness and lack of detracting faults.                                Pitched into the maelstrom of air fighting in the summer of 1940, twenty-four-year-old Gordon Olive barely lived to tell this extraordinary tale of courage and endurance. As Britain fought alone for its survival, 'the Few' of RAF Fighter Command took to the air grievously outnumbered, many reaching breaking point,exhausted physically and mentally by unreleting,intense combat.                       Gordon Olive flew the iconic Spitfire for over 125 missions above London and the south-east in the white heat of the aerial battle for supremacy of the skies. One of the most heavily engaged pilots of the Battle,he shot down ten enemy aircraft in those frantic months.          This is his story of what it was like to dogfight with Messerschmitts at speeds of 400 mph, experiencing G forces close to blackout, at one moment to be drenched in sweat with exertion,the next to be freezing at 25,000 feet, to smell the cordite of your own fighter's machine guns and feel cannon shells explode against the back of your armoured seat. Illustrated in colour with forty unique paintings of the aerial battle of Summer,1940 by the author. Gordon Olive,DFC.,always a copious note taker, made a detailed record of his RAF career and started to write up his original manuscript after the war.He was also an aviation artist and painted numerous detailed aerial combat scenes that he had experienced during the Battle of Britain - scenes impossible to capture on film.  Dennis Newton met Gordon in 1986 and helped edit his memoir,which was also serialised in the Daily Mail: 'Ever wonder what it was like to fly a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain? No account captures it quite so nerve shredding as this new book'.                                           An aviation journalist and author of seven books, including 'A Few of the Few', 'Clash of Eagles' and 'Severe Weather Flying', 'Australian Air Aces' and 'First Impact'. Please contact seller,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas customers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!          N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE.    ** N..B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always. **

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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