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This is easily the very best original example of this very rare Restricted (during WW2 of course) aircraft RECOGNITION PICTORIAL MANUAL, War Department FM 30-30, Navy Department BUAER 3 which is identified as a Military Intelligence Aircraft Recognition Pictorial manual, that we have ever offered for sale in our forty-+ years in the rare book business. A great many of the copies printed during World War II and in existence after the war were discarded as no longer pertinent, making those that survived very rare and historically important ephemeral documents.

The very heavily illustrated 6 x 10-½ inch shoelace-bound, chipboard covered book has had pages updated and added through April 1945 so it must be virtually complete. It covers the World War II aircraft of the United States Army and the United States Navy, United Kingdom or British aircraft, Nazi German aircraft, Imperial Japanese aircraft, Fascist Italian aircraft, Soviet Russian aircraft and miscellaneous aircraft.

The 7/8 inch thick book was updated frequently for a full two years after its original publication in April 1943 as new pages with new data and/or photos were added and obsoleted pages were removed. Because the book was made to have pages taken out and new pages inserted the pages are not numbered so we do not have a page count, but we think there are something over 400 pages. For example, there are at least 68 pages of German World War II aircraft alone, and they cover everything from the Fw 190, to the Messerschmitt 410, Me109, Bv 1

If you are not familiar with the book, the front of each page shows a realistic front, top and side view on the left with black & white drawings on the right along with very specific data about size, service ceiling, etc. On the back of each page there are usually four photographs of the aircraft in flight.

Most of the examples of this book that we have been able to buy or sell in the last forty years, have only had some of the pages and pictures and were about 1/2 inch thick. This one is 7/8 inch thick, weighs 1-3/4 pounds (0.8 kg) and contains many pictures we have never seen in other examples of the WW2 manual we have owned before, and we think the book is complete.

Besides the pictures, there are lists of manufacturers of foreign and American military aircraft, a glossary, aircraft characteristics, etc.

Of special interest in terms of rare books, this one is, as mentioned above, in excellent, little-used (if used at all) condition. The manual even comes with its original shipping envelope that the government packaged it in about 75 years ago! The original envelope has been refurbished where it was torn and where a small piece was missing, but all the original data is there including instructions about how to add new pages and how to tie the binding.

This 100% original WW2 War Department aircraft RECOGNITION PICTORIAL MANUAL is fundamental for any library of aviation material, any museum of aircraft or aviation related material, or any collection of World War II related aviation material. These books are rare and over the years we have sold incomplete books and books in poorer condition for more than we are asking for this one.