Written by his grandson, this is a splendid biography of one of the early greats, whose aircraft were flown by everyone who was anybody on the Allied side from Albert Ball and Georges Guynemer to Eddie Rickenbacker. Even though he was killed in an aircraft accident in 1911, and his brother Charles, who took over from him, died a year later in an almost identical crash, the Company they had set up survived and prospered under the leadership of Gustave Delage – what wonderful evocative names from an exciting era!

Like Louis Bleriot, Edouard’s involvement with aviation began with things electrical for automobiles, when he invented the first reliable magneto – beating the mighty Bosch in the process. Before that he had been a notable racing cyclist, and had hung a bicycle in a wind tunnel to examine the effects of aerodynamics. The knowledge gained enabled him to win races in spite of his inferior physique. This eventually let him down, and he had to retire from competitions. However, his experiments contributed greatly to his success when he turned to designing and manufacturing aeroplanes. He won scores of races in his own machines, and became a legend in his own lifetime – indeed he changed history by having the Cross of the Legion d’Honneur pinned on his shroud by the Minister of War. The Grand Chancellor of the Legion would not allow this precedent, and the subsequent fuss in the world of aviation and the press, led to a change in the law to legalize posthumous awards of all military decorations.

This book is complementary to Ray Sanger’s book on the same subject (reviewed in 33/2), being more intimate and personal, and less about the aircraft. It is lavishly illustrated with many never-before-seen images, many from the family archives. Sadly there is no Index, and I wish I knew who translated it, as the English/American retains a pleasantly quaint Gallic charm.