“Armament of British Aircraft, 1909-1939”

By H. F. King. 457 pp. 8 1/2 in. x 5 3/8 in. (Putman & Co, Ltd., 9, Bow Street, London, WC2E 7AL. £5.50.)

Latest in the now well-known, long-established series of Putman aviation books is this learned, copiously-illustrated discourse on armament in aeroplanes, by aeronautical-writer H. F. King—so maybe a Putnam compendium of aero engines could be on the way?
The detail in this valuable reference work is again quite remarkable, rather as if someone from the motoring world, with Mr. King’s knowledge and industry, had contrived 450 packed pages about car transmissions down the years—and to some of us about as dull. But for those who want it, here is information about how flying machines from AD Scout to Wight Baby Seaplane contrived to arm themselves. Most of the very clear pictures must be unique and the intensity of the text is alleviated by the author’s and others’ accounts of aerial combat, real and in target practice.—W. B.