In the original dustsheet. Navy cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

• F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

An essential reference book.

First published in 1957, this revised edition with new photographs and expanded text also features a a revised and augmented collection of three-view drawings. This book provides a comprehensive guide to every aircraft ever used by the RAF since the establishment in April 1918 to the present day, ranging from the Snipe and Bristol Fighter of World War I and the 1920s, to the Tornado and Eurofighter 2000 of modern times. All aspects are covered, including general evolution, service history, the personalities involved, allocation to squadrons, technical and performance data, serial number details and production statistics. The major RAF aircraft are supplemented by a lengthy appendix covering all miscellaneous types, from the Airspeed Courier to the EH 101 helicopter. The book also encompasses other significant subjects, such as civil aircraft impressed for wartime service, RAF gliders, nuclear weapons and missiles, Orders of Battle, and inventories of RAF aircraft on strength at key dates in its history.

Review: A very good general guide of all the aircraft used by the RAF since its foundation to the present day. I was using this for research and the data is generally good (a few entries miss out on data released since this edition was published), though the format is not consistent throughout – this is likely to be due to variations in the way plane specs have been reported down the years. One piece of data that would have been useful would have been cargo capacity for the transports, I found this elsewhere but it is a useful stat for some projects.

Colour illusrations would have been nice but are not essential as there is plenty of colour imagery out there now and the unversal black and white useage does not detract from the overall impression of the volume. A revised edition is overdue as nothing has come along to replace this yet.