The Leading Edge

New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1986. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. 231, [1] pages. Illustrations (many in color). Index. Signed by author on fep. Format is approximately 10 inches by 10 inches. Walter J. Boyne (born 1929) is a retired United States Air Force officer, Command Pilot, combat veteran, aviation historian, and author of more than 50 books and over 1,000 magazine articles. He is a former director of the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution and a former Chairman of the National Aeronautic Association. Boyne began his writing career in 1962 while still in the Air Force. Tired of the repetitive aviation articles of the time, he chose to write about lesser-known people and airplanes starting with an article on the Curtiss P-36. Boyne's article was accepted by a magazine in Britain which paid him $29 — a moment of special pride for the new author. The P-36 aircraft now resides in the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson AFB near Dayton, Ohio. A very prolific writer, Boyne is the author of over fifty books and over one thousand magazine articles. Charts the evolutionary course of aviation history by highlighting in detail the most important inventions and pivotal developments along with their creators. Traces the history of technological innovations in aviation, from the Wright Flyer to the stealth bomber, and highlights the achievements of individual inventors. Illustrated throughout with striking and evocative photographs--most in full color and many never before publishedppby some of the country's leading photographers and from collections across the globe.