Artmink

Art Deco Embossed Leatherette Hardcover “Aerial Wonders of Our Time — War in the Air” (Sir John Hammerton, Editor)

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

Style: Art Deco; Interwar British aviation publishing (partwork/bound volume)

Origin: United Kingdom

Materials: Embossed leatherette (imitation leather) over hardcover boards; stamped/relief silvered design; paper text block (not shown)

Age: circa 1936–1939

Condition: Good (edge/corner wear and scuffing to embossed airplane; surface rubs and small discolorations; interior not inspected)

Value: USD $25–60 at auction (assuming a complete, sound example without dust jacket)

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

Date: 2025-08-23 16:30:22.800617

Description:

Illustrated aviation book/partwork volume with striking Art Deco binding: teal-blue, crackle-textured leatherette over boards, deeply embossed titles and a large raised relief of a twin‑engine monoplane to the front cover. Central rectangular panel reads “Sir John Hammerton Editor.” This is the publisher’s deluxe binding used to house/issue the interwar British aviation partwork Aerial Wonders of Our Time, here subtitled War in the Air. Likely produced by The Amalgamated Press (London).

Curator Questions

Curated by Jade

Assessment:

This appears to be an original interwar British aviation volume from the Hammerton-edited series, notable for its sculptural Art Deco cover with an embossed twin‑engine aircraft. The binding, typography, and leatherette texture match known 1930s Amalgamated Press presentation bindings used for Hammerton partworks. Completeness and internal condition (title page imprint, contents, plates) will influence value more than the binding alone. A word about fakes.. while outright counterfeits of 1930s popular aviation books are uncommon, modern print-on-demand reprints and facsimiles exist; verify period paper, lack of modern ISBN/barcodes, and a London imprint to confirm a pre‑WWII edition.

Individual Images:

• Single front-cover image provided. Notable features: teal crackle-grain leatherette; large raised relief twin‑engine monoplane diagonally over a stippled rectangular panel; embossed titles at top (“AERIAL WONDERS OF OUR TIME”) and bottom (“WAR IN THE AIR”). Visible scuffs on the raised airplane—especially on the fuselage and wing roots—consistent with handling. Slight edge wear and minor soil at lower left; corners softened. Spine
• back cover
• and interior (title page
• colophon
• plates) not shown; these would confirm publisher
• exact issue/volume
• and completeness.

Provenance:

No provenance or documentation provided.

Condition:

Good (edge/corner wear and scuffing to embossed airplane; surface rubs and small discolorations; interior not inspected)

Identification Score: 95%

The cover text explicitly names the title and editor, and the embossed Art Deco airplane binding corresponds closely to known Hammerton/Aerial Wonders of Our Time/War in the Air volumes from the late 1930s.

Authenticity Score: 80%

Binding materials, lettering, and wear look period; however, without seeing the title and copyright pages I cannot exclude later reprints or rebound copies. Paper quality, publisher imprint (Amalgamated Press, London), and absence of modern production cues would raise confidence.

Image Memory Note

Object: Hardcover book with decorative Art Deco binding. Color: teal-blue/green leatherette with crackle texture. Front cover features a large raised relief depiction of a twin‑engine, low‑wing monoplane oriented from lower left to upper right over a stippled rectangular panel. Raised titles: top margin reads “AERIAL WONDERS OF OUR TIME”; bottom margin reads “WAR IN THE AIR.” Inside the central panel, incised/embossed text reads “SIR JOHN HAMMERTON EDITOR.” Typeface: bold sans-serif, typical 1930s. Wear: scuffing and small abrasions on the raised airplane (notably mid‑fuselage and near engine nacelles), minor discoloration spots on front board (lower left area), softened corners, light edge rubs. No spine or back cover photo; no title page, publication date, or publisher imprint visible. Motifs/design elements: Art Deco aviation theme; large metallic/silvered-looking plane relief; overall mechanical/modernist aesthetic. No dust jacket visible. No additional inscriptions or library marks visible in this image.

Keywords

Art Deco aviation book, Aerial Wonders of Our Time, War in the Air, Sir John Hammerton, Amalgamated Press, United Kingdom, 1930s, embossed leatherette, interwar aviation, collectible book

Report ID:  : agz8sf

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