
The Spitfire
Icon Of A Nation
Ivan Rendall(Author)
Weidenfeld & Nicolson (Publisher)
Published on 25. September 2008
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-297-85511-8 (ISBN)
Description
Designed to be the best fighter in the world the creators of the Spitfire married science, technology and art to create both 'a thing of beauty' and a deadly weapon that changed the course of the war. 'You don't just strap yourself in, you buckle the Spitfire on, like girding on armour...' Squadron Leader William Duncan Smith The Spitfire is part of popular culture and from the Battle of Britain to the present day it has remained a national celebrity. As a focus of appeals, for scrap aluminium - 'turn your saucepans into Spitfires' - for the 'Spitfire Fund' and 'Wings for Victory Week' the British people had a stake in the Spitfire. Working People contributed through their companies to present Spitfires to the RAF in return for letters from the pilots. After the war, no victory flypast was complete without a Spitfire, and today no air show is over until the roar of the Merlin engine has been heard overhead. This book, with its wealth of unusual contemporary imagery, modern photography, first-person reminiscence and high production standards is the last word on a subject of enduring appeal.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Dimensions
Height: 269 mm
Width: 222 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
1396 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-297-85511-8 (9780297855118)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
For many years chief executive of TV production company Zenith Productions Ivan Rendall has also written extensively on flight and motor racing. To accompany BBC television programmes he wrote FLYERS - THE SPIRIT OF KITTY HAWK and REACHING FOR THE SKIES - THE ADVENTURE OF FLIGHT. He is now a full-time writer.