JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
There's nothing quite so satisfying as seeing a representation of quantitative data where the graphical displays are flying. "One Dreadnought Buys 52 Dirigibles and 235 Aeroplanes" is a full-page diagram appearing in the 3 June 1911 issue of the Illustrated London News , making a very strong point that in the new age of aviation the 2 million pounds it would cost to produce one battleship could also (or rather) buy a lot of aircraft.
You may notice that the ship is flying a U.S. flag--this is because the graphic appear a month or so earlier in the U. S. publication Scientific American, and the ILN is simply reprinting the info In any event the image enumerates U.S. and international aircraft, making for a lovely representation of a broad range of airplanes filling up the same sky.
Here's the legend for the comparative display, with the key to the aircraft:
The "double" part of the dirigible dosage again comes from the Illustrated London News, this from 22 February 1913, addressing the need for legal reform in the flight of dirigibles, particularly in regards to the airships being used in possible combat. WWI wasn't far off at this point, and the ILN takes its readers on a quick tour of who-had-what in regards to the airships, depicting German and French airships and aerodromes. (If you click on the image and then click again to expand, you'll be able to read the fine print.):
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