 William Morrow & Company 1st Edition |
William Heinemann 1st Edition
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William Morrow & Company 1st Edition |
William Heinemann 1st Edition
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"Nevil Shute, whose fine novels have warmed the hearts of readers all over the world, is a man of two careers - first, the aeronautical engineer and then, the writer. This is the engaging story of that earlier career, of Shute's younger days in aviation when aviation itself was young.
Shute was born at the turn of the century so that his lifetime nearly coincides with the years of powered flight. And he came of age in the Twenties, that exuberant decade when aviation reached its own majority. For a young man with a scientific turn of mind, looking for adventure and solid work, the opportunity was there for the taking. Shute's first job in aviation was as a calculator for the firm of DeHavilland; and in 1938, when writing absorbed his full energies, he had just resigned from the position of managing director of Airspeed, Ltd., the company which he had founded in the early Thirties. In between lay not only the excitement of working with aeroplanes at a time when every change of design and performance was revolutionary, but the joys and sorrows of piloting a growing business from precarious beginnings to assured success. Most dramatic of all, perhaps, was his work with the rigid airship,R-100, which began in 1924. This was pioneering of the first order, for then it was generally conceded that aeroplanes could never be used on commercial flights across the oceans. Indeed, so vital did the project appear for England's commercial future that it produced a unique situation - while Shute and his associates labored on the R-100, the government undertook to build her sister-ship, the R-101. Here was direct competition between government and private industry, and the results were highly significant. In 1930, Shute and his co-workers piloted the R-100 from England to Canada and back again in a history-making flight. Laden with the excitment of true adventures, salted with personal opinion, candid and outspoken, Slide Rule is a vivid and important chapter in the romance of aviation." |
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The book Slide Rule, published in 1954, was Nevil Shute's only autobiography. Close to the completion of his final novel, Trustee from the Toolroom, he had plans to write two more novels before writing a follow-up autobiography to Slide Rule, which he had considered titling Set Square. |
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(1) The book's dust jacket cover should match the image shown at the left. (2) Unless the price has been removed by additional clipping after the original purchase, the dust jacket should show the resale price of $3.50 on the upper inside front flap. (3) Although the first edition shows the date 1954 on the copyright page, there is no indication as to what printing it is (such as first printing, first edition, second printing, ect.). (4) The book should show William Morrow & Company consistently as the publisher. (5) The first edition book cover is in gray cloth, with gold printing on the spine. |
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(1) The book's dust jacket cover should match the image shown at the left. (2) The price is shown on the bottom of inside front flap. (3) The book should show the publication date of 1954 on the copyright/publication page, with no additional printings shown. (4) The book should consistently indicate that Heinemann is the publisher. |
| *The collecting tips on the The Nevil Shute Book Page website are only provided as a tool to assist in identifying the original publications of Nevil Shute titles. Several people have generously contributed information and images to enhance its appearance and accuracy, however, please keep in mind that this site will always be a work in progress and have the potential for error. Regardless of the author you collect, I would strongly recommend that consumers/collectors never rely solely on a single source for determining the value or status of their book, including this website. Always seek multiple reliable resources to evaluate your edition. |
