Aeronautical History Special Collection
Ref: GB0605 DC001
[Special collections room, library stock]
100 years of Powered Flight Exhibition
A collection of more than 3,500 items, comprising books, pamphlets, illustrations models, ephemera and other documents relating to all aspects of the history of aviation. Individual items are assembled in a separate database which may be consulted at the University Library and which is accompanied by a purpose-designed thesaurus. Books and pamphlets are, for the most part, included (with less detail than in the aviation database) in the Library's public catalogue. Individual lists and bibliographies of particular aspects of the collection have been, or are being, compiled and are indicated in the list of sub-components of the collection below. In this list, approximate numbers of volumes are quoted for book collections while archival documents comprise a single box except where indicated otherwise.
Book collections
[including mixed book/archival]: Air Britain : approximately 80 volumes of monographs and books, including regular annual titles; various journals from 1960 to date
Aviation paperbacks and popular publishing : more than 350 copies of popular aviation paperback and similar popular or mass market titles. A catalogue and bibliography of this collection is available on-line
Aviation topography and airfields (UK) : some 150 volumes; further material, mainly UK but with some overseas also held in 2 archive boxes; related material also in the BAA Glasgow Airport donation. A topographical index is in preparation
Harleyford : some 40 volumes from 1940 Harborough titles until the final demise of the sequence in the late 1970s. A catalogue and bibliography of this collection will shortly be available on-line
Ian Allan : more than 300 aviation titles are held. Some series, notably the paperback ABC titles and their successors, and Aircraft Annual and the like are filed in a separate sequence. The popular ABC and annual titles are incorporated in the aviation paperbacks and popular publishing catalogue noted above
Jane's All the World's Aircraft : some 25 volumes from a facsimile of the 1909 edition to the mid-1990s. This collection continues to be expanded
Macdonald : more than 40 frequently major titles from this publisher, including more recent Macdonald and Jane's imprints. A catalogue and bibliography of this collection will shortly be available on-line
Observer's Books : 38 volumes from 1952 to the final 1989-90 annual volume. Also includes related titles such as airliners, basic aircraft etc. Volumes incorporated in the aviation paperbacks and popular publishing catalogue noted above
Putnam Aeronautical : an almost complete collection of some 160 volumes including all editions of titles in the Putnam Aeronautical series from 1957 to date, as well as Putnam aviation titles prior to that date and American G.P. Putnam's Sons titles. Some titles of later associated companies (Naval Institute Press, Brassey's, Conway Maritime Press) etc are also included. A catalogue and bibliography of this collection is available on-line
General collection : see notes in general introduction. Shelved by year of publication
General magazines : includes runs of various titles and individual copies of others. A spreadsheet database listing the collection will shortly be available on-line
Archival collections:
[these comprise pamphlets, ephemera, illustrations, photocopies etc relevant to the topic listed; some collections comprise sets or runs of particular titles which are also listed in the magazines database]
Air displays : mainly programmes
Air Ministry World War 2: publications titles are listed in the paperbacks and popular publishing catalogue noted above
Aircraft manufacturers : [2 boxes] mainly publicity brochures
Aircraft preservation: [society journals, leaflets etc]
Airline directories : extracted from various magazines
Airline in-flight magazines: [2 boxes] a separate spreadsheet database of this collection will shortly be available on-line
Airlines and airliners : timetables, ephemera etc.
Airports, airfields: [2 boxes] see notes in book collection above
Aviation in Scotland : pamphlets, photocopies, ephemera, air display programmes etc
Aviation museums : publicity leaflets, guidebooks etc; mainly UK, some overseas
BOAC/BEA/British Airways : pamphlets, reports, timetables, ephemera
British Midland Airways : timetables, ephemera, publicity leaflets
CIOS reports : a small number of aviation related titles only
Enthusiast society publications: registers and production lists [4 boxes]
Glasgow Airport, BAA donation : reports, technical and general publications from the office of the former Managing Director of BAA Glasgow. A catalogue of material in this collection will shortly be available on-line
Military aviation : miscellaneous pamphlets etc worldwide
Models : box-top illustrations, leaflets etc
Naval aviation : pamphlets, publicity materials etc, mainly Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm)
Newspaper supplements : miscellaneous supplements from the Financial Times, Times etc 1960s and 1970s
RAF post-1945 : pamphlets, recruitment, publicity etc material
RAF and military aviation before 1945 : pamphlets, illustrations
RAF Yearbooks : Battle of Britain souvenir yearbooks, late 1950s onwards
SBAC Farnborough trade catalogues : miscellaneous copies 1960s and 1970s
Smithsonian Institution publications : various series from the National Air and Space Museum
The Times Surveys of British Aviation : annual supplements 1950s-1960s
Miscellaneous: pre-1945
Miscellaneous: [5 boxes]
Models : 15 models mainly constructed from plastic kits on display in the Library entrance. Some 10 further models in store