The Saga of the Air Mail

Overview: Informative, intermittently interesting account of air postal service in the United States, with a preceding bow to the pigeon post, a final puff for missile mail. Mr. Glines describes the early exhibition flights, the first touch-and-go official flight (and the related stamp bonanza), the multiplication and extension of routes under Post Office Department auspices, the achievement of transcontinental service by all-night flying; excerpts from first-hand accounts demonstrate the hazards of flying by road maps and landmarks. In 1925 the Department was authorized to contract with private carriers: the heroic period ended, the growth of commercial airlines began. Except for scandal-sparked Army operation in 1934, the balance is aviation history, plus a chapter on "firsts" and on philately. Strictly a feeder line, though smooth, and somewhat costly for the territory covered.