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Air Crash Mail of Imperial Airways & Predecessor Airlines

by Kendall C. Sanford
A new publication by the Stuart Rossiter Trust Fund

I am pleased to announce an important new book "Air Crash Mail Of Imperial Airways & Predecessor Airlines". This 225 page book lists all the known crashes, interruptions and forced landings of Imperial Airways and its predecessor airlines. This is the first time a book has been published detailing the crash mail of a single airline. The book includes a photo or illustration of nearly every Imperial Airways and predecessors' aircraft that crashed or had a forced landing, and shows a cover and every known variety of cachet, label, manuscript marking or post office explanation, where mail has been recorded. There are 187 aircraft photos, 96 covers and 174 cachets shown, plus reproductions of newspaper clippings about Imperial Airways crashes.

The book lists 100 additional crashes and forced landings, and 46 additional cachet varieties not previously recorded by philatelic books and publications. This is based on the author's extensive collection of Imperial Airways crash mail, as well as years of research by the author in archives, newspaper libraries, early aviation magazines, and consulting over fifty books, magazines, and other publications.

The same numbering system has been used as in "Recovered Mail" by Henri Nierinck, published in 1992 & 1995. For the additional cachet and label varieties not previously recorded, the letters (identifying each type) not used by Nierinck have been used to avoid confusion between the Nierinck books and the new book. Thus, the numbering system used in the new book is an extension of the Nierinck numbering. The listings are shown chronologically by date.

The new book includes four Appendices - A. Identification of Covers Without Clear Postmarks, B. Imperial Airways & Predecessors Aircraft That Crashed or Were Interrupted, C. Imperial Airways & Predecessors Pilots Involved in Crashes or Interruptions, and D. an extensive Bibliography.

A Pricing Guide is included as a separate supplement. This is based on the current market for Imperial Airways crash covers, and will be an invaluable reference for collectors, dealers and auction houses that are buying and selling such covers.

The author plans a CD-ROM version of the book, which will be available in the near future.

The book is now available and costs UK£30.00 plus £4.00 postage in the UK, or US$59.00 plus actual postage. For customers in Switzerland, the book will cost CHF75.00 including postage. Order from:

Ken Sanford
Aerophil
613 Championship Drive
Oxford, CT - USA 06478-1298


Phone & Fax 203 888 9237
Email: kaerophil@gmail.com

Payment can be made by "PayPal", or make UK£ or US$ check payable to: "Ken Sanford".