A new translation of a classic work on early aviation history, Two Great Knights of Adventure. English-language readers will read this detailed dual biography of Marc Pourpe and Lafayette Escadrille hero Raoul Lufbery for the first time. This new edition of the long out of print original includes droves of new, unpublished information and imagery from the Lufbery family archive. Two Great Knights of Adventure was written by Jacques Mortane in 1936. Mortane was on friendly terms with both Marc Pourpe and Raoul Lufbery and wrote the book as a tribute to the two pilots, both of whom were killed in the First World War. Due to the access that Mortane had to these early aviators, this was the best work on their lives, but it was never translated into English and is long out of print. American author and Lafayette Escadrille expert Dennis Gordon recently had the book translated into English and worked with Raoul Lufbery III to add significant new content via the Lufbery family archive (which accounts for roughly half of this new volume). Marc Pourpe began working with aircraft in 1909, just after completing his schooling at Harrow. By 1911 he had attempted to construct his own aircraft from scratch and learned to fly, before receiving an official license. After receiving his license he began flying in races and exhibitions, first in France and then throughout the empire. He met Raoul Lufbery in Calcutta in 1912 and brought on the young American as a mechanic. Both Pourpe and Lufbery flew in WWI. Pourpe was killed in a crash in 1914, while Lufbery went on to be one of the top aces in the Lafayette Escadrille. Lufbery was killed in 1918. AUTHORS: Dennis Gordon is a WWI scholar. His books include Quartered in Hell: The Story of the US North Russia Expedition Force of 1918-1919, Lafayette Escadrille Pilot Biographies, and The Lafayette Flying Corps. Jacques Mortane was an aviation pioneer in his own right, and close personal friend to both Marc Pourpe and Raoul Lufbery. He exchanged letters with the pilots over several years, which provided him with a wealth of content for his book. He died in 1939. Raoul Lufbery III is the great grandson of Raoul Lufbery, the subject of this work. Raoul III is the primary custodian of the Lufbery family archive. SELLING POINTS: . Author Jacques Mortane was an accomplished pilot in his own right, and close personal friend to both Marc Pourpe and Raoul Lufbery . This new English-language edition has been significantly enhanced (manuscript length is roughly doubled) with additional content from the Lufbery family archive . Marc Pourpe and Raoul Lufbery were true aviation pioneers, flying long before the First World War. Both gave their lives for the Allied cause, Lufbery being one of the highest-scoring and most-celebrated American aces in the famous Lafayette Escadrille 160 b/w photographs
