A collection of approximately 90 books and pamphlets on the history of aviation, particularly French aviation. The items in this collection principally describe the development of airships in the early 20th century, but they include some wonderful earlier items: Histoire aéronautique par les monuments peints, sculptés,dessinés et graves, des origins à 1830 ... by F.L. Bruel (Paris: A. Marty, 1909). Only 325 copies of this work were ever printed, and the many color and black and white facsimilies of 19th century caricatures, portraits and paintings illustrate the early history of aviation. This is supplemented by L'aéronautique des origins à 1922 by Comte de La Vaulx, Paul Tissandier and Charles Dollfus (Paris: H. Floury, 1922). This work, in its original wrappers, also is lavishly illustrated.