Stormy Genius: The Life of Aviation's Maverick Bill Lear de Rashke, Richard L - 1985

Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985. Book. Near Fine. Hardcover. Signed by Author(s). First Edition, First Printing.. Boston: Houghton Mifflin , 1985. First Edition, First Printing. Near Fine/Very Good+. First Edition, SIGNED by the author, in original unclipped jacket. Clean blue paper covered boards with dark blue cloth spine, bright silver lettering on spine. No bumping or wear. Binding is tight & square, no cracking. Pages and edges are clean. Inscribed and signed by author on front free endpaper: "To Pat with my best wishes - Richard Rashke - 12/13/85". Illustrated with black and white plates. 401 pages with index. Clean jacket is not price clipped (19.95 on front inside flap), unchipped, a few tiny closed edge tears and tiny rubs. Photo of Bill Lear on rear panel with his automobile steam turbine engine. Enclosed in new archival quality removable mylar cover. The life story of Bill Lear, an irascible, eccentric, outrageous aviation genius. A poor boy who made and lost millions four times over, he patented more than 150 designs and inventions in electronics and aerodynamics including the first automatic pilot for jets, an automatic landing system for jets, and the eight-track tape, not to mention an automobile steam turbine engine..