Ernst Udet Signed Mein Fliegerleben c1935-1936 WWI German Flying Ace Illustrated
$995.00
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ERNST UDET — MEIN FLIEGERLEBEN
“My Flying Life”
Circa 1935–1936 • German-language illustrated hardcover
Christmas 1936 gift inscription • Ullstein publisher’s reply card
An early illustrated copy of Ernst Udet’s aviation autobiography, bearing a separate “Ernst Udet” signature on a preliminary page, attributed to the author by Second Chapter Book Co. following the seller’s examination. Detailed photographs show the signature and its placement within this volume.
Credited with 62 aerial victories, Udet was Germany’s second-highest-scoring fighter ace of the First World War, after Manfred von Richthofen. His memoir follows the development of an aviator through early flying experiments, wartime aerial combat, and the international flying adventures that followed.
First published in 1935, the book includes chapters on Richthofen, the end of the war, and subsequent travels in Africa and America. Numerous black-and-white photographic illustrations depict early gliders, aircraft construction and maintenance, cockpit portraits, German fighter aircraft, fellow aviators, and overseas expeditions.
Among the illustrated subjects are the Gustav Otto aircraft works, Udet with Lieutenant Justinius, W. A. “Billy” Bishop, René Fonck, and aerial views of African wildlife. The German text is printed in traditional Fraktur type.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THIS COPY
• Blue cloth binding with an aircraft silhouette and gilt lettering.
• Separate signature attributed to Ernst Udet on a preliminary page.
• Handwritten Christmas 1936 gift inscription, reading approximately: “To you, dear Fritz, for Christmas 1936, from your brother Oskar.”
• Additional handwritten ownership notation.
• Unused Ullstein publisher’s reply card addressed to Kochstraße 23, Berlin SW 68, for requesting announcements of new publications.
• Rear publisher’s advertisements for aviation books, including Richthofen’s Der rote Kampfflieger and titles by and about Günther Plüschow.
DATE AND SIGNATURE
Dated circa 1935–1936, with a Christmas 1936 gift inscription. The exact printing is not established, and this copy is not represented as a confirmed first printing.
The author-signature attribution is the seller’s assessment. Signatures reproduced within the printed dedication and photographic illustrations are part of the published book and are distinct from the separately attributed autograph.
CONDITION
A preliminary leaf near the front is missing, leaving a ragged paper remnant at the inner gutter; this may be the title leaf. Full completeness has not been verified.
The cloth shows wear, surface marking, and uneven fading, particularly to the spine. Page edges are age-toned, with foxing on preliminary leaves and scattered through the interior. Handwritten ownership and gift inscriptions are present. No dust jacket.
Includes the unused publisher’s reply card shown in the photographs. Please review all photographs for the signature, inscriptions, illustrations, binding, and missing-leaf detail.
V4
Ernst Udet Signed Mein Fliegerleben c1935-1936 WWI German Flying Ace Illustrated
$995.00
“My Flying Life”
Circa 1935–1936 • German-language illustrated hardcover
Christmas 1936 gift inscription • Ullstein publisher’s reply card
An early illustrated copy of Ernst Udet’s aviation autobiography, bearing a separate “Ernst Udet” signature on a preliminary page, attributed to the author by Second Chapter Book Co. following the seller’s examination. Detailed photographs show the signature and its placement within this volume.
Credited with 62 aerial victories, Udet was Germany’s second-highest-scoring fighter ace of the First World War, after Manfred von Richthofen. His memoir follows the development of an aviator through early flying experiments, wartime aerial combat, and the international flying adventures that followed.
First published in 1935, the book includes chapters on Richthofen, the end of the war, and subsequent travels in Africa and America. Numerous black-and-white photographic illustrations depict early gliders, aircraft construction and maintenance, cockpit portraits, German fighter aircraft, fellow aviators, and overseas expeditions.
Among the illustrated subjects are the Gustav Otto aircraft works, Udet with Lieutenant Justinius, W. A. “Billy” Bishop, René Fonck, and aerial views of African wildlife. The German text is printed in traditional Fraktur type.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF THIS COPY
• Blue cloth binding with an aircraft silhouette and gilt lettering.
• Separate signature attributed to Ernst Udet on a preliminary page.
• Handwritten Christmas 1936 gift inscription, reading approximately: “To you, dear Fritz, for Christmas 1936, from your brother Oskar.”
• Additional handwritten ownership notation.
• Unused Ullstein publisher’s reply card addressed to Kochstraße 23, Berlin SW 68, for requesting announcements of new publications.
• Rear publisher’s advertisements for aviation books, including Richthofen’s Der rote Kampfflieger and titles by and about Günther Plüschow.
DATE AND SIGNATURE
Dated circa 1935–1936, with a Christmas 1936 gift inscription. The exact printing is not established, and this copy is not represented as a confirmed first printing.
The author-signature attribution is the seller’s assessment. Signatures reproduced within the printed dedication and photographic illustrations are part of the published book and are distinct from the separately attributed autograph.
CONDITION
A preliminary leaf near the front is missing, leaving a ragged paper remnant at the inner gutter; this may be the title leaf. Full completeness has not been verified.
The cloth shows wear, surface marking, and uneven fading, particularly to the spine. Page edges are age-toned, with foxing on preliminary leaves and scattered through the interior. Handwritten ownership and gift inscriptions are present. No dust jacket.
Includes the unused publisher’s reply card shown in the photographs. Please review all photographs for the signature, inscriptions, illustrations, binding, and missing-leaf detail.
V4