Early Aviation at Farnborough  Balloons, Kites and Airships. by Walker. Percy B.,

Hard back book with pictorial dust jacket, 283 pages, 11 chapters illustrated by B/W plates, 6 appendices, index. 

This is the first authoritative history of the early development of flying in Britain, under the aegis of what was to become the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, written by one of Britain's leading aeronautical experts. It traces the story from the early development of military balloons, in which Britain led the world, and which were successfully used in the South African War in 1899, through the prolonged military experiments with man-lifting kites on land and at sea, including the glider- and motor-kites which were recognisable forerunners of modern aircraft, to the building of such celebrated airships as Nulli Secundus in 1907 and Colonel Capper's "Baby".

Serious without being solemn, Percy Walker's scholarly account ranges from the technical methods of construction of these early flying machines to the conflicts between the policy-makers in Whitehall and the boffins at Farnborough. But at the centre of his story are the pioneers who made flying possible, and Percy Walker's book will evoke admiration for their courage and inventiveness as well as amusement at their many undignified vicissitudes, set-backs and minor disasters.