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Interwar British Aviation Leatherette Hardcover Book — “Aerial Wonders of Our Time: War in the Air” (ed. Sir John Hammerton)

By: Edited by Sir John Hammerton; likely published by The Amalgamated Press (London)

Style: Interwar/World War II aviation; British popular history; illustrated reference

Origin: United Kingdom

Materials: Paper text block; publisher’s embossed leatherette (faux leather) over boards with silvered/relief stamping

Age: circa 1938–1940

Condition: Good (cover rubbing, edge/corner wear, and noticeable silvering loss to aircraft relief; interiors not inspected, not officially graded)

Value: $20–$60 (auction/estate setting, title-only volume, condition as shown)

Maker's Marks / Writing: Front cover reads: “AERIAL WONDERS OF OUR TIME” (top), central panel: “SIR JOHN HAMMERTON Editor,” lower panel: “WAR IN THE AIR.” No publisher imprint visible on the cover.

Date: 2025-08-23 16:29:40.919574

Description:

Illustrated aviation reference volume from the late 1930s–early 1940s, bound in publisher’s green-blue embossed leatherette boards with a large relief image of a twin‑engine aircraft and raised titling. Edited by Sir John Hammerton and issued in London (likely by The Amalgamated Press) as part of the Aerial Wonders of Our Time series; this copy is the War in the Air volume. Decorative die-stamped cover with pebbled texture and silvered plane motif.

Curator Questions

Curated by Jade

Assessment:

A collectible interwar/WWII-era aviation book with striking embossed boards. Demand is steady among aviation and militaria readers, with value driven by condition, completeness, and whether it is a first issue of the partwork or a later compiled edition. Your example shows honest shelf wear and silvering loss to the cover plane motif, typical of handled copies. A word about fakes.. While outright counterfeits are uncommon for mid-20th-century popular-press books, modern facsimile reprints and print-on-demand versions exist; original publisher’s leatherette bindings with period wear and oxidation, as seen here, generally indicate an authentic vintage copy.

Individual Images:

whole item

Provenance:

No provenance documents shown.

Condition:

Good (cover rubbing, edge/corner wear, and noticeable silvering loss to aircraft relief; interiors not inspected, not officially graded)

Identification Score: 95%

The title, editor’s name, and series subtitle are clearly visible on the cover, allowing confident identification as the ‘Aerial Wonders of Our Time — War in the Air’ volume edited by Sir John Hammerton, issued in the UK.

Authenticity Score: 65%

The original-looking embossed leatherette binding, period typography, and age-consistent wear support authenticity as a late‑1930s/early‑1940s copy. Without viewing the title page, imprint, and contents, I remain conservative, as later reprints exist.

Image Memory Note

Single image of a hardcover book lying flat. Cover is green-blue pebbled/‘cracked’ leatherette with raised titling. At the top: large embossed text ‘AERIAL WONDERS’; to the right, smaller raised ‘OF OUR TIME.’ Center features a rectangular textured panel with a silvered, die-stamped relief of a twin‑engine monoplane (propellers on both wings; single vertical tail; nose-forward orientation). Within the panel, in small caps: ‘SIR JOHN HAMMERTON Editor.’ Bottom of the cover has raised text: ‘WAR IN THE AIR.’ Condition details: notable rubbing and small losses to the silver finish on the airplane (especially on leading edges and nacelles); light soiling/spotting near lower left field; softened corners and spine edges; general shelfwear. No dust jacket or spine/tail details visible. No internal pages shown; no ISBN or publisher imprint visible in the photo.

Keywords

Aerial Wonders of Our Time, War in the Air, Sir John Hammerton, aviation book, interwar, World War II, British, Amalgamated Press, leatherette binding, illustrated reference

Report ID:  : 3wj5y3

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