Rare book: Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilunger. Strasbourg: Karl J. Trubner, 1901. Hardcover, 9.25 x 11.25, 168 pages. Extremely rare book containing one of Wright’s first two aeronautical articles ever to appear in print, illustrated with the first-ever published image of a Wright aircraft, both appearing on page 108. The publication also contains photo-illustrated accounts of other extremely important events in the early history of aviation: a description of Gustave Whitehead’s flying machine, featuring a small image; a lengthy article about the Wilhelm Kress seaplane, featuring two photos of it; and accounts of Count Zeppelin's second and third flights (including a full-page portrait of the dirigible in flight). Book condition: VG/None.
As international ears began to hear of the Wright brothers in the summer of 1901—with Octave Chanute’s Cassier article, ‘Aerial Navigation,’ providing the first public notice of their work—Wilbur published the first two technical articles of his aviation career to a wider audience than anticipated in July of 1901. ‘Die Wagerechte Lage Wahrend des Gleitfluges’ (‘The Horizontal Position during Gliding Flight’), published in the German magazine Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilunger, plainly stated that he had safely and successfully made landings in the prone position at speeds of up to twenty miles per hour in his glider. Accompanied by a photo from Kitty Hawk showing the air-bound 1900 glider being flown as a kite, the article sent a clear message to Europe: America was taking flight. Also containing historic accounts of Whitehead’s, Kress’s, and Zeppelin’s groundbreaking work, this is an exceptionally rare and important book—a remarkable addition to any serious aviation collection. RR Auction COA.
