FINDING AID

AUBURN UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVES DEPARTMENT

Guide to the Hampton Aviation Book Co. Collection, RG 831

Date: April 29, 1999

Date Span: 1886-1974

Biographical Sketch: Ben Hamilton founded the Hampton Aviation Book Co. at Hampton Bays, Long Island, NY in 1946. He collected books and archival materials on aviation history to resell. The business later moved to Newberry, SC.

Scope / Content: Includes postcards, clippings, still photographs, posters, artifacts, brochures, and specification manuals related to aviation in the U.S. and Europe, particularly Germany. Bulk of the material pertains to twentieth century, World Wars I and II. Contains information on commercial aviation and pre-airplane manned flight.  This collection came to the AU Archives in one large, original accession (numbered 88-73) and three smaller ones (90-91; 91-07; 93-21).  Only accession 88-73 is organized into series:  1. Autographs/Aeronautics Programs; 2. Correspondence; 3. Educational Materials; 4. Miscellaneous; 5. Photographs; 6. Scrapbooks.  The subsequent accessions contain a mix of series.  Please search each accession separately.


 

SERIES 1:  AUTOGRAPHS / AERONAUTICS PROGRAMS

ACCESSION 88-73  Box 1
1 – Business cards with personal notes or autographs
2 – Invitations/Announcements/Postcards with a name or personal note or autograph
3 – Correspondence with autographs dating from 1919-1967; the last four letters are undated
4 – Programs to Aviation functions from 1917-1963
5 – Catalogue Excerpt; 2 pages removed from a catalogue or bibliography
6 – Invitations to Aeronautics functions between 1911-1963
7 – Invitations to Aeronautics functions, undated, with envelope for these and folder #6
8 – Musical Scores dated 1927 & 1929
9 – Programs for various forms of entertainment from 1947-1955
10 – Tickets, schedules, & fliers to aeronautics events 1922-1962
 
SERIES 2:  CORRESPONDENCE, 1789-1961
ACCESSION 88-73  Box 2
1a – Delalande’s 1789 letter with 1988 translation
1b – Boelcke’s 1906 letter
1c – "Family" correspondence 1917-1929
1d – Letter, 1948
1e – OX5 Club letters 1957, one to Ben Hamilton
1f – Note of payment June 1961
1g – Christmas Card – undated
SERIES 3:  EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
ACCESSION 88-73  Box 2
2a – Aviator’s Outfit Pamphlet
2b – Reading Guide
2c – Aircraft ID Flashcards
2d – Aircraft ID’s with photos
2e – History notes on the Balkan’s from 1800s-1939, mostly covering the 20th century
2f – Air Defense Brochures
2g – Navigational Computer Instructions (with a preservation problem)
2h – L’Avion de Chasse "S.31" – self made pamphlet giving descriptions of Jupiter VI, VII and Hornet motors (in French)
3 Histories/Stories, brief aeronautical stories/histories
SERIES 4:  MISCELLANEOUS
ACCESSION 88-73  Box 2
4a – French stamps from 1920
4b – Picture of Biplane, cutout
4c – Military patches, two, with ferry tickets
4d – Picture of Buck Rogers
4e – Picture cards from cigarette packs and Liebig’s Fleisch Extract
4f – Officer Training Course Certificate dated 1931
4g – Paper airplane
4h – Stock certificates, two unsigned
5 – Military Cadence Verses – pornographic in content

SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS.  Contains subseries by country (England, France, Germany, Italy, United States, Unidentified).  English photographs subdivided by subject.

[SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – General Collection

ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
1a – Early aircraft; balloons, airships, etc. 1784-1900s
1b – Experimental aircraft; monoplanes, bi & triplanes 1900-1909
1c – Bleriot’s Channel Crossing
1d – Air shows at Hendon & elsewhere in 1910
1e – Initial Military Aircraft
1f – Air Achievements from 1918-1919
1h – Air Pageant of 1920
1I – Aircraft between WWI & WWII (1920s-1930s) [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Individuals ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
2a – Balloonists – 1784-1907
2b – A.V. Roe’s Model Aeroplane, 1907
2c – Grahame-White in England, covers his various ventures there
2d – Grahame-White in England, 1910
2e – Various people from 1911-1930s [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Group Shots, 1900s-1950s ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
Folder 3 [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Parts & Maintenance, 1920s-1930s ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
Folder 4 [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Air Mail ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
Folders 5a and 5b [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Passenger Air Service ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
6a – Airplane interiors
6b – Airports
6c – Air transports (1913-1919)
6d – Air transports (1920s-1930s)
6e – Post WWII air transports
6f – Flying Boats
6g – Float planes/seaplanes [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British-Military ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
7a – Pre WWI aircraft
7b – WWI aircraft
7c – Between wars aircraft (1920s-1930s)
7d – WWII aircraft
7e – Post war aircraft & test pilots, up to the late 1950s [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Aircraft with Rotors ACCESSION 88-73  Box 3
8a – Autogiros
8b – Early helicopters [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  British – Scenes of Air History ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
1a- Collage photos
1b – Tree used to anchor early planes while the engines were being warmed up; located on Laffan’s Plain
1c – Monument to Bleriot’s Landing in England after his Channel crossing
1d – Aerial views from British planes of various areas of the world
1e – Orange Hill House and its estate
1f – Lake Victoria, in Africa
1g – Television picture of a lady being received in 1920s
1h – Portrait from "The Masquerader"
1I – Movie scene of Pilcher’s life story, produced in 1959 [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  French ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
2a – Montgolfier & Montgolfier Balloons, 18th century
2b – Balloonists, balloons, & airships, 18th & 19th century
2c – Gliders, cycle & motor propelled planes, 1904-1908
2d – Wrights planes & variations of their planes in France 1908-09
2e – Bleriot’s Channel Crossing, 1909 (for landing see British file Box 3, files 1c and 9c)
2f – Latham’s Channel Attempt, 1909
2g – Air History, Rheims 1909-1910
2h – Aircraft, 1909-1911
2I – Beaumont (alias Lieut. Conneau), and Vedrines
2j – Persons and aircraft, pre WWI – 1961 [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  Germany ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
3a – Aircraft, 1890—1909
3b – Aircraft WWI
3c – Aircraft & Airfields (between wars)
3d – Aircraft WWII, etc. [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  Italy ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
4a – Persons & aircraft from 1783 to ca. 1940s
4b – Fiat Plant and plane [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  Unidentified ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
5a – Mythical/Cartoon photos
5b – Aircraft, no date or just no country
5c – People
5d – Sky views of jet streams and clouds [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  United States ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
6a – Wright Brothers & their planes (see also the French file 1d)
6b – Aircraft 1900s-1920s
6c – People, 1890-1910
6d – People, Aviators, Politicians, & Entertainers, 1920s-1940s
6e – Aviation Progress from the mid 1930s through the mid 1950s
6f – Rocketry: Early 1950s-1955 Viking Tests [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  United States – Air Mail ACCESSION 88-73  Box 4
7a – 1911-1921
7b – Undated, includes photo of Czar Nicholas
7c – Envelope containing the collection, w/price [SERIES 5:  PHOTOGRAPHS] Subseries:  Miscellaneous ACCESSION 88-73  Box 5
1 – "Slip In" Album for Cigarette Cards of Airplanes
2 – "Modern Boy Air Album" of Maurice Pink
3 – Broadsides
4 – Entertainment programs (eg: plays) SERIES 6:  SCRAPBOOKS
ACCESSION 88-73  Box 5
5 – WWI German Airforce
6 – Early airplanes, 1907-1909
7 – WWI German Officers
8 – Loose photographs, ca. 1910-1915
9 – Air Scenes, WWII
10 – Album of Cigarette Picture Cards
11 – RAF Flight Log of J.G. Mitchell, April 1940-May 1941 (recopied by Mitchell)
12 – Notepad of Ward M. Snyder
13 – Cigarette Picture Cards of Airplanes
OVERSIZED MATERIALS, Contains various series.
ACCESSION 88-73  Box 6
1 – Autographed Poster
2 – Map to Vincennes Air Field
3 – Fokker Model Monoplane Plans, 1906
4 – Newspaper Clippings
5 – British Aeroplanes Identification Chart, 1916
6 – Scrapbook: Transatlantic Flights (photocopy of 4-page book)
7 – Scrapbook: Military Aircraft (mostly American)
8 – Der Technische Neubau ("New Building Techniques")
9 – Newspaper clippings of Harry Harper, 1929

ACCESSION 90-91:  Mixed series

Box 1
1 – Postcards, Early Aviation Scenes, Personalities, and Miscellaneous
2 – Glass Negatives: Early Aviation subjects, Zeppelins, etc.
3 – Prints of Early Aviation Subjects
4 – Series of Photographic Reproductions: Destruction of a Zeppelin at Night near London during WWI
5 – Aviation in Sweden, two sketches, ca. 1954
6 – Aviation Association’s Materials, various worldwide locations
7 – Officer Training Corps Certificate "B", James Richmond Gordon Finlayson, Great Britain, November 1934
8 – Various Book List Items for Aviation, 1960s-1970s
9 – WINGS CIGARETS Aviation Cards
10 – Historical Materials: Photos, Clippings, Notes, etc.
11 – Photographs, Annotated or Identified
12 – Photographs and Illustrations, Aviation subjects, miscellaneous
13 – Book Jacket for Early Aeroplanes 1907-1918, unused
14 – Miscellaneous items
15 – Scenes Attending Finish of Airship’s Journey (R-34 Dirigible), Mid-Week Supplement July 17, 1919

ACCESSION 91-07:  Mixed series

Box 1
1 – Photograph: Diners at "Billy Rose’s Golden Horseshoe Restaurant," Paramount Hotel, NYC, WWII
2 – Child’s silhouette by Diehl, 1944
3 – 2 @ Flugbuchs, WWII
4 – Research File re: Airplane Manufacturing, Professor Heinrich v. Konen

ACCESSION 93-21:  Mixed series

Box 1
1. Pilot Log Book
2 – Twin Wasp D Series Overhaul Manual, 1943-44 (1)
3 – Twin Wasp D Series Overhaul Manual, 1943-44 (2)
4 – Technical Writings and Schematics
5 – Journal Articles and Newspaper Clippings Concerning Airpower
6 – Airplane Brochures
Box 2
1 – Photographs and Picture-Card Album
2 – Various Air Club Materials
3 – Geschichte der Luftwaffe
4 – Book Catalogues
5 – U.S. Government Hearings on Airpower
6 – Journal Articles (German)
7 – Memorial Album for Mr. Thomas H. Jones
Box 3
1 – Plans for Hot Air Balloon (1886)
2 – Drawings of WWII German Planes
3 – Airplane Engine Plans

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