Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot

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Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot

(Daniel Ford)

The test pilot's story is told mostly in his own words, taken from the diary he kept from his first day as an aviation cadet to the day before he died in the fiery crash of the Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing bomber. Historian and novelist Daniel Ford introduces Edwards, bridges the gaps in the diary, and explains the virtues and the drawbacks of the planes Edwards flew, whether as a bomber pilot in the North Africa desert or as an Air Force test pilot at Wright Field and Muroc -- now known as Edwards Air Force Base.

What the reviewers said

"Ford, an Army veteran, has a long, impressive record as a novelist and editor. He is blessed with a splendid writing style and understands the modern Air Force. Reading his book is a real treat." -- Military Review, Nov-Dec 1999

"A fascinating tale and a tribute to an unassuming man who simply loved to fly." -- Air&Space/Smithsonian (Click here for the review in full)

"The author did an excellent job.... For those who are looking for information on YB-49/B-35 the answers may be found in this book." -- American Aviation Historical Society Newsletter

"Highly recommended" -- Today's Librarian

"A most interesting personal account of a great American who survived the war, but died as a test pilot." -- Weekend

"The fascinating diary of the WWII bomber and postwar test pilot.... Edwards's own words are skillfully interwoven with Ford's, offering a richly detailed account of postwar aviation--and the infant years of the military-industrial complex." -- Kirkus Reviews

The author

As a novelist, Daniel Ford is best known for Incident at Muc Wa and the acclaimed Vietnam film Go Tell the Spartans that was based on it.

As a military historian, Ford won an Award of Excellence from the Aviation-Space Writers Association for Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, the first edition published by Smithsonian Institution Press, the second by HarperCollins, and the third by Warbird Books. "War history as it should be written!" exclaimed the reviewer for the Naval aviation journal The Hook. Most recently, he remembers a remarkable man he met in South Vietnam, Cowboy: The Interpreter Who Became a Soldier, a Warlord, and One More Victim of Our War in Vietnam.

Publishing history

Glen Edwards was published in hardcover by Smithsonian Institution Press. It contained 195 pages plus 12 pages of photographs, plus source notes, a glossary, and an index. The list price was $26.95, and the book is now out of print, though still available (and autographed!) from the author at less than half price. Revised digital and paperback editions published 2013 by Warbird Books.

Get the print edition

The paperback is 6x9 inches, 218 pages, with black-white photos, notes and bibliography. It sells for $12.95 plus shipping.

You can get a signed copy of the paperback delivered to your U.S. mail address for list price plus postage, sent by Priority Mail. You can also pay by check. Finally, you may be able to get the paperback through your local bookstore using the ISBN code 978-1490952994, probably with a surcharge.

Get the e-book

The digital edition sells for $4.99, available from these online booksellers:

Question? Comment? Newsletter? Send me an email. Blue skies! -- Dan Ford