The enigma of Amy

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Airlife of Shrewsbury have lately published Amy Johnson – Enigma in the Sky by David Luff (ISBN 1 84037 3199, £16.99), not only a very full life story of the girl who became one of our most famous aviators, but about the only biography of her which remembers her cars and appearances in motor competitions.

Johnson took part in long-distance international rallies and competed at Shelsley Walsh, where she shared Fane’s 328 FN-BMW in 1938 and made two very neat and tidy climbs, in 49.92sec and 49.57sec.

Not only does this commendable book include Amy’s motoring, but it goes into much detail of all aspects of her life, growing up, university, learning to fly, love affairs, the many exciting record-breaking attempts, and her life with Jim Mollison, ending with the author’s theory about her mysterious disappearance on her last wartime flight for ATA. It is wonderful period reading.