National Geographic Magazine, January-June 1930, including index, Volume 57 ($13, which is 1/3 the internet price)
Heavy bound book, in good shape, with many photographs, some color, and one map of Florida.
The article I loved is the one from June, 1930, "The First Airship Flight Around the World- Dr. Hugo Eckener Tells of an Epochal Geographic Achievement upon the Occasion of the Bestowal of the National Geographic Society's Special Gold Medal."
The giant dirigible Graf Zeppelin started its world wide flight from the hanger in Lakehurst, NJ. "Nine Thousand dollars was the fare for a round-the-world ticket, and among the guest passengers were writers, photographers, and two US naval officers... The 19,500 mile journey took three weeks to complete and was accomplished in four laps..." making stops only in Friedrichshafen, Tokyo, and Los Angeles.
It must have been the trip of a lifetime. Some lands they flew over had never been seen before. Some places they flew over would have been their graves if the ship had floundered. Strangely enough, it would the safe airport at Lakehurst where the most famous zeppelin would crash in such a tragic manner. Zeppelins were never really safe. Too many of them crashed. But at the time, neither were airplanes. Regardless, I would loved to have traveled in one. The pictures I have seen show a ship offering not only out of this world views, but also extremely luxurious accommodations. I hear you can take dirigible flights somewhere in California, but these new ones are only small, pale shadows of the originals.
Look for this book on the new non-fiction table.
