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GHOSTS of The Great War, Aviation in World War One
Authors; Philip Makanna and Javier Arango
ISBN 0-916997-29-4
192 pages, 160 colour Photographs by Philip Makanna
110 archival Black & White Photographs
27 drawings
This book was one that stunned me as I unpacked it the first time. The photography, layout and colour combination of the dust jacket was so beautiful that it felt like a violation to actually open the book. So there is lay a few moments as I studied the enormous picture of an old biplane with its pilot staring right back at me. I certainly was spellbound by the magic exuding from this work. It took me several minutes before I actually opened and began to explore the world that lay beneath the cover.
Although the word “War” is in the title, the atmosphere coming from the book is one of a more sedate and gentler era. An era when engineers and pilots took time to do things right. It stems from a world that has long died, yet in a sense lives on in the lives of people like Philip Makanna, Javier Arango, Chuck Wentworth and Jim Appleby. An elite few that still take pride in producing work to perfection. Like the planes i
n this book, so the pilots, milestones in human character building, names that still elicit envy today.
As a photographer myself, I certainly appreciate that effort taken in this book to provide the reader with optical pleasure of the highest degree. Phil Makanna who has been photographing airplanes for over 30 years is world class. His work is a benchmark many aspire to but very few attain. One would think it easy to point a camera at a plane and produce a good picture. If the plane is beautiful you are only halfway there. Phil however has the knack to bring out the best of character of an aircraft, he knows exactly where and when to press the shutter.
The combination of photographic excellence and the texts written by Javier Arango will transport you back to the birth of military aviation, 1914 – 1918. A time when you flew at 70 mph instead of 700. Phil took five years to produce this work. Planes where supplied by The Aeroplane Collection, in some cases they evolved from merely a pile of seasoned lumber. The texts accompanying are a delight to read, some quotations are sprinkled though the book like good seasoning in a salad.
This is a valuable Opus to be collected and cherished if you love aviation. For the historian a source of knowledge of an excellent calibre. This book has pride of place on my bookshelf.
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