Resources:
Bibliography
My interest in Indian Civil Aviation, Tata Airlines, Air-India, Indian Airmails and Indian Rocket Mail and Indian Zeppelin Mail required that I learn more about the subject, and catch up on the years I missed out as I developed this interest only over the last 5 years. I have listed below some books that have been a delight to read, and invaluable to my study.
They are all relevant to the topic on hand, and also have a direct connection with India. Some are devoted entirely to one of these subjects in an Indian context, while others may have only have a few relevant chapters or listings. There are many more great books on Aviation and Airmails, but not directly relevant to India. I have avoided listing those.
The titles have been organised under specific lists, and then arranged chronologically according to year of publication.
- Books on Indian Civil Aviation
- Books on JRD Tata and Civil Aviation
- Books on Air-India
- Magic Carpet - The Staff Magazine of Air-India & other Air-India publications
- Books on Indian Airlines
- Books & Journals on Indian Aerophilately
- Books on Indian Rocket Mail
- Books on Zeppelin and Catapult mail (India listings included)
I have consulted these publications and a variety of other on-line resources to gather information used on my web-site.
- Here is a link to the database of the Indian Civil Aviation registry. (Source: www.warbirdsofindia.com)
- Here is a link to the database of all Civil Aviation Accidents in India (Source: www.aviation-safety.net)
Books on Indian Civil Aviation:
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From London to Australia by Aeroplane by Sir Ross Smith K.B.E. Published in the National Geographic, March 1921 issue this is a personal narrative of the first Aerial Voyage half around the world. A major leg of his flight was through India and makes for informative reading. Report by the Civil Aviation Advisory Board of Britain, published in 1922. This lays out the plan to develop an air service from England to India, starting with the Cairo – Basra service, and then eventually the London – Karachi service. Seeing the world from Air. National Geographic, March 1928, carried a lengthy article with 38 illustrations by Sir Alan J. Cobham about his historic flight to Australia. Describes in detail his journey and experiences while flying to and across India. India by Air by Sir Samuel Hoare. Published in 1927, this flight laid the foundation for the Imperial Airways service from Croydon to Karachi that was introduced in March 1929.
Air Transport Command. India – China Division. Published during the later part of WWII (C. 1942-1944), this book was for restricted circulation to USAF personnel only. It describes the challenges of flying ‘over the hump’, and also practical tips for American Pilots while in India. Civil Aviation in India by Capt. Mustafa Anwar. Published in 1954, this book has sixteen chapters covering into all aspects of the subject. a good account of post-war aviation in India.
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The Story of Indian Air Transport by J. R. D. Tata. The Sixteenth British Commonwealth Lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society, London on 18 November 1960. JRD tells it like it is in his own distinctive style, and oh, what a story!
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Annals of British and Commonwealth Air Transport by John Stroud. Published in 1962, this has 30 pages of detailed information on the history of Civil Aviation in India. RED TAPE HERE TO SAY WHY FIGHT IS? by S.K. Kooka. Text of speech delivered at IATA Ficilitation Seminar at Singapore January 20-21, 1976. Qantas Empire Airways (Western Operations Division), Indian Ocean Service 1943-1946 by Barry Pattison and Geoff Goodall. Published in 1979 by the Aviation Historical Society of Australia, the book deals with the unique long range Qantas Indian Ocean Operations between 1943 and 1946 and the nineteen Catalina delivery flights from America to Sydney in 1941. Very useful to collectors of Wartime mails from India, for routes, schedules and other invaluable information.
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Round the World Flights by Carroll V. Glines. First published in 1982, this is the third edition dated 2003, and covers some noteworthy flights that passed through India. Of particular importance is the 1924 American Flyers flight considered the first round the world flight.
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Towards Excellence in inflight cuisine and service. First Network Catering and Cabin Service Conference February 19-21, 1992. Airlines of Asia since 1920 by R. E. G. Davies. Published in 1997. Very detailed and informative sections on Indian Civil Aviation.
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Aviation in The Hyderabad Dominions by P. Anuradha Reddy, published by the author in 2001. A wonderful compilation of much needed information about the early days of aviation in Hyderabad, especially among the first flights in the country, and the great work being done by the Nizam State Railway (N.S.R.) which operated early air services, and later by Air Deccan. Books like these help fill gaps on information which is not published elsewhere. History of Aviation in India by Pushpindar Singh. Published in 2003, this is the most comprehensive record of India's aviation history, with rare and delightful photographs.
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British Airways, An Airline and its Aircraft, Volume 1: 1919-1939. The Imperial Years by R. E. G. Davies published in 2005. Wonderful book with photographs, drawings, maps and a whole lot of information of Imperial Airways' aircraft, many of which were used to carry passengers and mail to India.
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The Imperial Airways Fleet by John Stroud. Published in 2005, around the time Davies published his book on the subject. Contains a lot of photographs and fleet information on aircraft that among many other things were used to carry passengers and mail to India.
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The History of the Jodhpur Flying Club and The Royal Air Force in Princely India by Peter Vacher. Published in 2008. Jodhpur played a major role in development of air routes in India and was an essential stop on the eastward growth of the London - Karachi route. Maharaja Umaid Singh played a pivotal role in this endeavor.
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Airwork. A History, by Keith McCloskey. Published in 2012. Has a wonderful chapter with a lot of detail on Indian National Airways (INA) which started in 1933, just a year after Tata Airlines, and played a major role in the development of Civil Aviation in India, both before and after WW II.
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Imperial Airways Aircraft 1924 - 1940. Published by Geoffery Smith in 2012. Hundreds of large format photographs of aircraft used by Imperial Airways.
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Victor Tango by Vijay Seth. Published in 2012, this is for anyone with an interest in modern aviation photography.
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London Philatelist – September 2015, has a very informative article by Pradip Jain on pioneer Air Mails, and development of this air route. |
Books on J. R. D. Tata and Civil Aviation:
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Five Golden Decades of Indian Aviation. Tata's Memorable Years by A. Sen. Published in 1978.
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Aircraft and Engine Perfect by Murad Fyzee. Published in 1991. The story of JRD Tata who opened up the skies for his country. The Quiet Conqueror J.R.D. Tata Amar Chitra Katha by Anant Pai. Published by Penguin Book India, New Delhi 1992. This script is based on the book, Beyond the Last Blue Moutain - A Life of J.R.D. Tata by R.M. Lala.
Click here to know more. |
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Beyond the Last Blue Mountain. A life of J. R. D. Tata by R. M. Lala. Published in 1992. The official biography with many chapters devoted to Tata Airlines and Air-India.
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Horizons. The Tata - India Century 1904-2004 by Aman Nath and Jay Vithalani. Published in 2004. A coffee table book that chronicles 100 years of Tata in business. It contains a fair amount of information and photographs about their Airline Division, and emergent airlines.
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Great Britain Post Office Notices
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Spring, 1931
Click here to know more |
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Nov, 1934
Click here to know more |
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Feb, 1938*
Click here to know more |
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Books on Air-India:
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The Story of an Airline, 1932 - 1953. Published in 1953, by Air-India International, this book gives an insiders view of the evolution of the group. Starting with Tata Air Lines, growing into Air-India and finally Air-India International. Rare photographs, and history recorded as it was happening. A must read for all Air-India collectors.
I am very grateful to the Tata Central Archives, Pune for providing me a B&W xerox copy of this publication. This book was never sold, and meant for distribution only. Not too many copies are known to survive. Air and Space age. Publised in 1956 by Maneckji. A Labour of Love. Text speech given by Mr. S.K. Kooka, Commercial Director of Air-India at the annual convention of the American Association of Advertising Agencies at Pebble Beach, California on November 3, 1965. Click here to know more |
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The Sorrow and the Terror by Clark Blaise & Bharati Mukherjee. Published in 1987, this is about the haunting legacy of the Air-India tragedy in which 307 passengers and 22 crew members perished in a terrorist act which blew up AI 182 from Toronto and Montreal to Bombay.
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Disaster in the Air: The Crash of the Kashmir Princess, 1955. Colonel A. K. Mitra's first hand account, Published in 2001, about the conspiracy to assassinate the Chinese premier, Chou-en Lai who was to fly the chartered Air-India Lockheed Constellation L-749, the Kashmir Princess from Peking to Jakarta. The author was the Military, Naval and Air Force Attache to the Embassy of India in Indonesia, and a member of the International Commission of Investigation into the Air Crash. While never proven, this was widely suspected to be a CIA plot.
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Gypsies to Jets. Memories of Capt. Kaki R. Gazder, Capt., Air-India. Published in November 2001His memories of a life long affair with flying, right from the pioneer days to the Boeing 707. |
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Oceans and Clouds by C. N. Bhade. Published in 2002, this is a book by a man who served in Air-India for many years. His reminiscences make fascinating reading, and it is easy to understand how the culture at the airline got the best out of people and made it truly great.
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The Air India Art Collection published in 2008 by Air India is a compilation of important items in the huge collection the airline has built up over the years. This book have been curated by experts, Kalpana Desai, Gautam Hemmady, Ratnottama Sengupta and Jeet Thayil. JRD as Air-Indians Remember by M. S. Kohli. Published in 2010. A compilation of memoirs from various persons associated with the airline and rare photos and letters. |
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The Descent of Air-India by Jitender Bhargava. Published in 2013, the author served the airline for over 20 years, and writes candidly about his observations. The title says it all. |
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EN AVION TINTIN Published in 2014, the Air India International Constellation and the Air India Ltd DC-3 were featured prominently in the Tin Tin adventure, Tin Tin in Tibet. This book (in French) records the painstaking research by Herge which brought the flying experience to life. |
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Air-India Travel guide book "Come Ind is waiting". |
Magic Carpet - the Staff Magazine of Air-India & other Air-India Publications.
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Vol 5. No. 11. Dec 1961
Click here to download: Magic Carpet - the Staff Magazine of Air-India |
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Air-India Reports
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Air-India Report Magazine No.8 London, June 1969
Click here to download: Air-India Report - London, Magazine dated June 1969. |
Air-India Report Magazine No.7 London, January 1969
Click here to download: Air-India Report - London, Magazine dated January 1969 |
Air-India Annual Reports
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AI Annual Report |
1951
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1952
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1967-68
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1968-69
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1969-70
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1970-71
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1971-72
AI Annual Report |
1972-73
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1973-74 AI Annual Report
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1974-75
AI Annual Report |
1975-76
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1976-77 AI Annual Report
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1977-78 AI Annual Report
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1978-79 AI Annual Report
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Air-India Telephone Directory
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AI Telephone
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AI Telephone Directory
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AI Telephone Directory
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AI Telephone Directory
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AI Telephone Directory
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AI Telephone
Directory 1982 |
AI Telephone Directory
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AI Telephone Directory
2005 |
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Flying High, Inflight Service Dept. Newsletter, Vol. 1.1, October 1996. You can download the pdf by clicking the link here Flying High, Inflight Service Dept. |
Air-India publications for internal use.
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This is the cover of a stamp album manufactured in Italy in the 1960s. It has an Air India Boeing 707 on the cover, and perhaps was sponsored by the airline. Nothing inside is related to the airline. Air-India Employees' Service Regulations dated September, 1967. Air-India Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet Basic Information.
Air-India Cabin Crew, Air Corporations Employees' Union Agreement Flight Duty TIme Limitations dated 11th February, 1970. July 1975 "Twenty Points Economic Programme".
Air-India Employees' Service Regulations dated April, 1976. The Air-India Empolyee's Service Regulation were published in the Gazette of India dated October 19, 1963. Subsiquently the provisions of the Service Regulations were amended from time and these amendments were published in the Gazette of India.
Air-India Emoluments at Minimum and Maximum of each pay scale. In respect of Non-Technical, Technical, categories represented by IATA and Offcers cadre as on 1 April, 1980. Air-India Staff College, Training Programmes 1981-82
Air-India Employees' Medical Benefits Scheme Dated 12th February, 1982. Issued by The Chief Medical Officer, Santa Cruz (East), Bombay. Air-India Employees Service Regulations Dated March 1982. The Air-India Empolyee's Service Regulation were published in the Gazette of India dated October 19, 1963. Subsiquently the provisions of the Service Regulations were amended from time and these amendments were published in the Gazette of India. Agreement V between Air-India and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America. Reperesnting Clerical and related employees., Effective: September 20, 1983. Air Safety Focus Air-Indi. Vol.VI, No.2 dated April 1985. Issued by Dy. Director, Air Safety, Air-India, Santa Cruz. Air-India Airbus A310 Flight Safety Manual dated 1st November, 1989.
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Air-India Duty-Flight time limitations and Allied matters for Cabin Crew. |
Air-India Staff List
These are list of Officers and Staff in the grade of Rs. 640-1170, Rs. 910-1450 and above in the employ of the Corporation.
Issued by Personnel Department
These are list of Officers and Staff in the grade of Rs. 640-1170, Rs. 910-1450 and above in the employ of the Corporation.
Issued by Personnel Department
AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
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AI Staff List
1st Jun, 1983 |
AI Staff List
1st Jun, 1984 |
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Trek the Himalayas by Capt. M. S. Kohli, the award winning mountain climber and Air-India employee. This book is about trekking. It does not contain any information on Air-India, but since the airline sponsored the book, they have the Maharajah on the cover. |
Books on Indian Airlines:
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The Viscount and You (N.D.). Ok, so it is not really a book; more a promotional booklet from Indian Airlines Corporation when they introduced the Vickers Viscount into their fleet. With amazing graphics, the pride and excitement is evident in the Viscount story. I will certainly upload a pdf of this book very shortly.
You can download the pdf by clicking the link here Indian Airlines Corporation - Viscount. This is Indian AIrlines. Desinged & Produced by Mass Communication & Marketing Private Limited. |
Books & Journals on Indian Aerophilately:
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The Aero Field. This was an Aerophilatelic journal published regularly from 1926 until 1983, with a few years of disruption in between. A wonderful source of information on Airmails.
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The Indian Air Mail Society Bulletin, edited by Stephen H Smith. Published first monthly, and later quarterly from 1926 until at least 1936. A contemporaneous account of the growth of Civil Aviation, and Airmails during the period. Unfortunately, no complete set is known to survive.
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Indian Air=Ways, Part I by Stephen H. Smith, published in 1926. Perhaps the first book on the subject and since it was written as history was being made, it no doubt captured information that was the source of rich information for future publications. Part of a 3 volume set which he wrote on the subject.
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Indian Air=Ways, Part II by Stephen H. Smith, published in 1927. Included information on flights that were missed out in the prior book, and added listings on new flights as well. Part of a 3 volume set which he wrote on the subject.
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World Flier's Danger Zone by Stephen H. Smith, published in 1927. A small booklet on the treacherous journey over Burma during the monsoon. Dedicated to Arthur B. Elliot.
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Indian Air=Ways, Part III by Stephen H. Smith, published in 1930. This pretty much captured anything he missed out in the earlier two volumes, and also misted flights that took place after the last book came out. Part of a 3 volume set which he wrote on the subject. Detective Story: How the mail got from Burma to Athens in October 1932. Donald Malcolm, by 1932.
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Priced Catalogue of Air Mail Stamps and Airposts of the World by David Field. Second Edition Published in 1934. a very early reference source for mail into and out of India. |
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British External Airmails until 1934 by Alexander S. Newhall. (N.D.) Published around 1935. Mail between Britain and India comprised the vast majority of Indian Airmails at this time. Newall lists these events and also adds detail and comments of his own which help the collector. |
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Catalogue des Aerogrammes du Monde Entier by Frank Muller. Published in French in1950, and reprinted much later by Postilion Publications. Muller was the world authority on Airmails, and his book was the definitive reference book for decades. |
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Imperial Airways (and Subsidiary Companies) compiled by N. C. Baldwin and published in 1950. The Aero Field Handbook No. 10. A history and priced check list of the Empire Air Mails. |
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All-Up Air Mail by John C. W. Field, published in 1978. A booklet form reproduction from the Aero Field, about this path breaking scheme which changed the way people from different countries communicated. At once the world shrank, and it also served as a model for the All Up scheme introduced in India for domestic Air Mails in 1949.
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Courier Recupere, Recovered Mail 1910 - 1936 by Henri L. Nierinck. First published in 1984 as a single volume, this is an expanded version in two parts that followed shortly thereafter. In French and English, this is regarded as the most comprehensive listing of crash mail.
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Courier Recupere, Recovered Mail 1937 - 1988 by Henri L. Nierinck. First published in 1984 as a single volume, this is an expanded version in two parts that followed shortly thereafter. In French and English, this is regarded as the most comprehensive listing of crash mail.
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Movement of Aircraft on Imperial Airways' African Route 1931 - 1939 researched and compiled by Peter Wingent. Published in 1991. Contains listings of all available information on every flight on the Imperial Airways African Route taken from The Times newspapers archives. Very useful for studying Indian airmails to and from Africa.
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Indian Airmails by Jeffrey Brown. Published first in 1995 and later updated and published digitally. perhaps the most authoritative compilation on Indian Airmails.
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La Service Postal Aerien dans les Pays D'Expression Francais by Pierre Saulgrain. Published in 1996, this catalogue in French records flights 1906 -1986 between French territories. This is the only modern listing I have come across for flights to French Territories in India and complements lists published by Muller almost 50 years before this.
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Imperial Airways' Empire Flying Boat Services 1936 - 1939 researched and compiled by Peter Wingent. Published in 1997. Largely compiled from the Southern Daily Echo, Southampton. All reported information on the service including the Australia route which naturally passed through India, and peppered with maps and philatelic material.
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Movement of Aircraft on Imperial Airways' Eastern Route, Volume 1, 1927 - 1937 researched and compiled by Peter Wingent. Published in 1999. Contains listings of all available information on every flight on the Imperial Airways Eastern Route taken from The Times newspapers archives. A must for studying Indian airmails of that era.
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Indian Airgraphs by Manohar Lal. Indian Air Mail Postage Rates until 1956 by Jeffrey Brown. Published in 2000 and also available digitally, this sister companion to Indian Airmails complements the study of the subject.
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The Royal Air Force Cairo - Baghdad Air Mail Service 1921 - 1929 by William C. Andrews. Published in 2000. The Cairo - Baghdad Air Service was taken over by Imperial Airways in 1927. This book gives the history before this change. The pioneering effort of the RAF and plenty of information on mail carried. of interest to Indian Aerophilatelists because this was the vital air link needed to connect India by air to the west.
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Schweizereisches Luftpost - Handbuch Ausgabe 2000, published by Verlag Multipress in 2000 in German, this catalogues all Swiss airmails. Many Swiss destinations are of importance to Indian aerophilatelists for mail to India, and this comprehensively lists them out.
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Wartime Airmails, The Locally Registered and Foreign Air Services of British Asia. Published in 2001 by the Chavril Press. Information on domestic airlines, routes, aircraft etc. in India before and during the war. also on the Airgraph service.
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Indian Airmails, Development and Operations (1911 - 1942) by Pradeep Jain. Published in 2002, this book is beautifully illustrated with very rare Indian Airmails from the authors prize winning collection.
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Air Crash Mail of Imperial Airways and Predecessor Airlines by Kendall C. Sanford. Published in 2003, the books complements Nierinck and contains plenty of photographs, press clippings and covers form the authors collection.
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Movement of Aircraft on Imperial Airways' Eastern Route, Volume 2, 1937 - 1939 researched and compiled by Peter Wingent. Published in 2005. Contains listings of all available information on every flight on the Imperial Airways Eastern Route taken from The Times newspapers archives. A must for studying Indian airmails of that era.
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Bridging the Continents in Wartime by Hans E. Aitink and Egbert Hovernkamp. Published in 2005, and reprinted in 2013, this book has the most detailed information on flights covering all important airmail routes during 1939 - 1945. A must for anyone interested in studying routes and rates, of simply making sense of wartime mail to and from India during this period.
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Indian Airmails 1947 - 2003 by Vijay Seth. (N.D.) An illustrated listing of stamps, flight covers, air letters, etc., related to Indian Airmails.
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The Australian Air Mail Catalogue by Nelson Eustis & Tom Frommer. Last published in 2008, this is the definitive source for listing of significant and collectable mail between India and Australia.
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India Post, The Journal of the India Study Circle for Philately 1950 - 2007. CD ROM published c. 2008 contains all back issues of the stated period. Unfortunately a little difficult to search, but literally a treasure trove of information.
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India Post, The Journal of the India Study Circle for Philately 2008 - 2012. CD ROM published c. 2013 contains all back issues of the stated period. Unfortunately a little difficult to search, but literally a treasure trove of information.
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Intercontinental Airmails, Volume Two, Asia and Australasia by Edward B. Proud. Published in 2009, this is Vol II which is the one relevant to Intercontinental Indian Airmail, of a three volume set he wrote with amazing detail about airmails; flights, schedules, postal rates, ship connections etc. From the start of airmails, and all the way through the war. Lots of information on wartime routes and rates as well.
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The Ross Smith Stamp & its Postal History by Tom Frommer. Published in 2011, this book has everything you want to about the stamp and mail on that flight. The author has tracked down and listed and illustrated to the extent possible every known mail article carried, including the very rarely seen mail to and from India.
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Centenary of Indian Airmails 1911 - 2014 by Vijay Seth & J. R. Nanda. Published in 2014. This time with more text and many more images, going back to the pioneer flight era.
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Airmails across the Middle East 1918 - 1930 by Laurence Kimpton. The definitive study on the subject, listing all known mail and flights. The opening of this difficult route was a critical hurdle to be overcome before airmail to India could begin.
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The 1929 Airmail Stamps of India by Dipak, Priti and Markand Dave. Published in 2015, this is study of over 200 errors and varieties in this particular issue of airmail stamps in six values with over a decade of effort invested.
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India 1929 Air Mail Stamps by Rohit Prasad. Published in 2015, this is a very well presented book on the same subject. Many examples on cover make it all the more interesting.
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India 1935 Silver Jubilee Stamps by Nick Levinge and Rohit Prasad, published in 2018. This book deals with all aspects of this stamp set issue including very interesting Air Mail covers and Rocket Mail covers. Well illustrated and written-up.
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Books on Indian Rocket Mail:
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Rocket Mail Catalogue and Historical Survey of First Experiments in Rocketry by Stephen H. Smith. Second Revised Edition published in 1955. The earliest book I have seen on rocket mail and who better to bring it out than our own Stephen H. Smith.
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A Specialised Price Catalogue of Indian Rocket Mails Stamps and Vignettes, compiled by Jal Cooper. Published in 1960. This is the book that re-kindled interest in collecting Indian Rocket mail, and pretty much lists all of Stephen Smiths rocket mail experiments in India and in Sikkim. Detailed listings with quantities and prices.
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Elington - Zwisler Rocket Mail Catalog by Jesse T. Ellington and Perry F. Zwisler. Published in 1967, this world-wide catalog includes detailed India listings.
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From the Diary of Stephen Smith, compiled by D. N. Jatia for the Philatelic Congress of India. Published n 1980. Brings to light many amazing photographs, sketches and other details of Stephen Smith's notes about this rocket mail experiments.
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Pionerraketenpost und Komische Post by Walter Michael Hopferweiser. Published in 2016, this German language publication is a worldwide priced catalogue with a very fine section on Stephen Smith's India and Sikkim experiments, including very the rare War time covers.
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Books on Zeppelin and Catapult mail (India listings included):
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R. 101. A reprint of an article by Lieutenant-Colonel V. C. Richmond from the Royal Aeronautical Society Journal on the yet to be launched, and eventually ill-fated Airship. The R. 101 was on her maiden voyage from England to India, and unfortunately crashed and caught fire over a field in France, killing all on board. This book explains technical details of the airship while it was still under construction. This book published August 1929. |
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The Orient Flight LZ 127 - Graf Zeppelin by Fred F. Blau and Cyril Deighton. Published in 1980 by the German Philatelic Society, it is reprinted by Postilion. A very interesting study of this remarkable flight. |
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Commercial Zeppelin Flights to South America by John Duggan and Jim Graue. Published in 1995, this book has the history, and comprehensive listings of flights, postmarks etc. Well illustrated.
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Zeppelin Specialized Catalogue 2003 by Michel, Published in 2003, this is a comprehensive listing of Zeppelin mail. Helps understand some nuances that make the subject all the more fascinating.
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Special Airship Mail and Postcard Catalogue 2005 by Frost. Another comprehensive listing and very well organised and illustrated.
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German North Atlantic Catapult Airmail Flights 1929 - 1935 by James W. Graue. First Published in 2004 and a second edition in 2014, this is of great interest to Catapult Mail collectors. Not much is widely known about this subject in India, though some mail does exist.
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