THE FUN OF IT Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation

Item Details

New York, Brewer, Warren & Putnam, 1932, Hardcover

First

THE FUN OF IT Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation by Amelia Earhart

SIGNED by AMELIA EARHART on the front free endpaper in black ink.

Published by Brewer, Warren & Putnam, New York, 1932. First Edition, first printing with small Silvertone phonographic record in publisher’s pocket on rear pastedown with original gold star seal. Hardcover, brown cloth with off-white title on the front cover and spine, 8.25” x 5.5”, 218 pages, with 31 illustrations including frontispiece photographic portrait of Earhart, the last page is a list of Aviation Books by Women. GOOD PLUS Condition: lacking the original dustjacket, the covers are a little shaky but bound well, have some rubs lightly affecting the printing, a bb-size spot, and light wear to the corner tips; the cover’s spine is frayed at the ends and its titling is faded but clearly visible. Internally very good, the pages are lightly toned, as normal, and the pocket at the rear (holding the record) has offset its image onto the facing page, also as normal, and a previous owner’s penciled name on the rear record pocket; otherwise the pages are tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. Amelia Earhart’s signature is bright and clear. A very presentable copy.

In 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic and her memoir “For The Fun Of It” was about to be published when her husband George Putnam, who was also her publisher and promoter, added a small promotional item, a tiny 78 rpm record of a snippet of her May 1932 London speech about the flight she just made to get there, tucked inside the back cover. 

Amelia Earhart (1897-1937) was a record breaking pilot during the early development of the science of aviation and fought and campaigned to bring women into aviation. A steadfast champion of women’s rights and gender equality in the United States, she lent her influence and abilities as a member of the National Woman’s Party, whose members in turn supported Earhart’s efforts to chart a new course for women in both aviation and society at large. She leveraged her global fame to advance women's rights. As a pioneering feminist, she co-founded the Ninety-Nines for female pilots, actively lobbied for the Equal Rights Amendment, and championed modern roles for women in society, education, and career development. Unfortunately her attempted around-the-world flight in 1937 and subsequent disappearance is still the subject of much debate.