Global Mission by H. H. Arnold, Signed and Inscribed by Arnold, First Edition, 1948

Arnold, H.H., Global Mission. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1949. Signed and inscribed by Arnold. First edition. Presented rebound in ¼ leather and cloth boards with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine, and a new archival slipcase. 

This is a 1949 first edition of H. H. Arnold’s Global Mission. Arnold signed the front free endpaper in blue ink, “Here's hoping that you like this story of the build up of our Air Force. H.H. Arnold.” It was published in New York by Harper & Brothers in 1949. The book has been expertly rebound in blue ¼ leather and cloth boards. 

H. H. Arnold was the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force and was instrumental in the planning of aerial attacks against Japan and the daylight bombings raids on Germany in WWII. This autobiography presents Arnold’s account of how the U.S. Air Force was developed and the fateful strategic decisions made during WWII, all intertwined with his own colorful life story. Beginning with his childhood, “Hap” Arnold details his story and the events culminating with the U.S. as the greatest Air Force in the world. 

“[T]his book is more than the chronicle of a flier’s life; it is in a sense a saga of United States air power, and particularly a top-level picture of the United States Army Air Force in World War II... Global Mission will take an important place in the growing library of war books”( Hanson W. Baldwin, The New York Times).

This book also includes additional and interesting tipped-in content, with a typed letter signed by Peter Masefield pasted down to the front endpaper. Sir Peter Masefield (1914-2006) was a British engineer and journalist who played a major part in developing Britain's aircraft industry and airports after WWII. He first worked as a junior draughtsman at Fairey Aviation from 1935 to 1937, before moving into journalism on the staff of The Aeroplane from 1937–1943. He became an aviation correspondent for The Sunday Times, and at the start of WWII, he was sent to France to cover the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force. Masefield also flew with the US Army Air Forces as an occasional co-pilot and air gunner while maintaining his journalism career. After the war, Mansfield became a leading figure in Britain's post war aviation industry, as Chief Executive of British European Airways in the 1950s and chairman of the British Airports Authority in the 1960s.

CONDITION:

Overall very good condition. Expertly rebound in ¼ blue leather and cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine, and new archival cloth slipcase to match. The internal pages are clean and bright, save several water damage stains to the bottom corners of black and white photo pages. Signed on front free end paper by Arnold in blue ink pen. The inscription is legible.

Additionally signed and dated "Peter Masefield 1949" on a letter attached to the first page. The letter is typed on “Hughes Aircraft Company, Culver City, California” letterhead. With Lieutenant Ira Eaker's "Hughes Tool Company" business card, Howard Hughes' business card, as well as other printed personal ephemera of past owner.  

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.