[Free eBook] The United States Airforce: A Turbulent History 1907-1975 by Herbert Molloy Mason [Aviation Military History]

The United States Airforce: A Turbulent History 1907-1975 by Herbert Molloy Mason, Jr., a former U.S. Marine during WWII and later aviation editor for a magazine, is an aviation military history, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1976 by Mason/Charter Publications.

The book covers the emergence of the use of aviation for military purposes by the U.S., from Orville Wright’s failed demonstration for the Army to early training at the beginning of the 20th century to the rise in prominence during the two World Wars and beyond, drawing upon the recountings of engineers, pilots, and decision-makers throughout the decades.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] The Friendless Sky: The Great Saga of War in the Air, 1914-1918 by Alexander McKee [Aviation Military History]

The Friendless Sky: The Great Saga of War in the Air, 1914-1918 by the late British author Alexander McKee, a journalist, military historian, and diver who was awarded an OBE for discovering the underwater archaeological site of the sunken Tudor warship Mary Rose, is a standalone military aviation history, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1962 by Souvenir Press.

This history, meant for a popular audience, relates anecdotes about the colourful personalities of the WWI aviation age, including the famous flying aces as well as commentary on their commanders and civilian policy-makers of Britain, Germany, and France, alongside tracking the developments in aircraft technology and tactics throughout the war years, with brief source notes on the then-available vintage autobiographies and diaries containing first-hand experiences from which this was drawn.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Legend and Legacy: The Story of Boeing and its People by Robert J. Serling [Aviation Business History]

Legend and Legacy: The Story of Boeing and its People by the late Robert J. Serling, a novelist and aviation writer who was also the brother of screenwriter Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame and occasionally contributed technical consultation on the show, is an aviation business corporate history, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1992 by St. Martin’s Press.

This corporate history covers over 75 years of the personal and professional history of aircraft company Boeing, from its roots during the WWI years, to its troubles during the interwar decade, and the eventual development of its famous jet airliners and involvement in the space program, following the decisions of its engineers and executives throughout the decades as they developed and expanded the business and its related industries, with behind the scenes insights and anecdotes.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] Love Game: A History of Tennis, from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon by Elizabeth Wilson [Sports Cultural History]

Love Game: A History of Tennis, from Victorian Pastime to Global Phenomenon by Elizabeth Wilson, a novelist and historian, is a sports cultural history, free for a limited time courtesy of the University of Chicago Press.

This is their featured Free Book of the Month for July.

The book is an accessibly-written cultural history of the game of tennis, from its early forms played during the Middle Ages to the rise of croquet and “lawn tennis” during the Victorian Era, to the current modern form, and its rising global appeal and various advances in equipment and gameplay and the gradual acceptance of women and visible minorities in the official competitions, with anecdotes about many great athletes and other colourful sporting personalities along the way.

Offered worldwide through July, available directly from the university’s website.

[Free Audiobooks] Vincent and Theo: The The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman & Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar [Young Adult Painter & Basketball Player Biography]

AudioFile’s SYNC Summer of Listening 2019 promotion for young adults offers 2 free audiobooks per week—1 classic or non-fiction, 1 modern—as free MP3 downloads, usually available worldwide (some titles are subject to geo-restrictions, and you can see the planned release schedule here).

This week’s two selected titles, which have a theme of the private lives of famous people, available until 7am Eastern Time on July 18th, are as follows:

• Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman, a recounting of the deep friendship between iconic 19th century Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh and his younger brother Theo who supported his artistic dreams, drawing upon their extensive letters to each other; read by Phillip Fox, from Dreamscape Media, available worldwide
• Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld, the first memoir of star basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, covering his childhood days to his early sports career and the various inspirations and influences and his experiences growing up during the Civil Rights era; read by the author himself, from Hachette Audio, available worldwide

Offered as DRM-free MP3s through 7am Eastern Time on July 18th, available in selected countries worldwide (requires installing Overdrive Media console software on your PC, Mac, Android, or iDevice, and you need to finish downloading before the time limit).

[Free eBook REPEAT] The First Ever English Olimpick Games by Celia Haddon [17th C Sports Event History

The First Ever English Olimpick Games by British author Celia Haddon, a journalist and former pet advice columnist for The Daily Telegraph, is a sports event history, free again for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 2004 by Hodder & Stoughton.

This gives an account of the Jacobean era attempt to revive the ancient Greek Olympic games as a sporting celebration in the English countryside now known as the Cotswold Olimpick Games, founded by lawyer Robert Dover and sponsored by King James I, as well as its enduring legacy as a recurring event for nearly two centuries, and later revival in the 1950s.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] From the Captain to the Colonel: An Informal History of Eastern Airlines by Robert J. Serling [Aviation Business & Travel History]

From the Captain to the Colonel: An Informal History of Eastern Airlines by the late Robert J. Serling, a novelist and aviation writer who was also the brother of screenwriter Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame and occasionally contributed technical consultation on the show, is a standalone aviation business history and biography, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1980 by The Dial Press (now a Random House imprint).

The book is an historical business biography of the now defunct Eastern Airlines, once one of the largest US commercial airlines and the official airline of Disney, centred around its colourful founder Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, a former WWI flying ace, covering his feuds with competing rival airlines and political figures, as well as the various travel innovations pioneered by Eastern such as hourly commuter air shuttles between major cities.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] The Bittersweet Science: Fifteen Writers in the Gym, in the Corner, and at Ringside [Boxing Sports Essays]

The Bittersweet Science: Fifteen Writers in the Gym, in the Corner, and at Ringside edited by Carlo Rotella, an award-winning columnist and professor of American studies and journalism at Boston College, & Michael Ezra, a professor of multicultural studies at Sonoma State University, is a cultural studies anthology of essays on the sport of boxing, free for a limited time courtesy of the University of Chicago Press.

This is their featured Free Book of the Month for May.

The book is a collection of new essays about boxing by contributors from all walks of life including managers, journalists, fiction authors, fans, and more, who have first-hand experience of the sport from various angles, as professionals or appreciative amateurs, with profiles of established and rising stars and hands-on accounts from the fighters’ points of view as well as behind-the-scenes looks and outside perspectives.

Offered worldwide through May (will probably also still be available over the weekend), available directly from the university’s website.

[Free eBook] Maverick: The Story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines by Robert J. Serling [Aviation Business Biography]

Maverick: The Story of Robert Six and Continental Airlines by the late Robert J. Serling, a novelist and aviation writer who was also the brother of screenwriter Rod Serling of The Twilight Zone fame and occasionally contributed technical consultation on the show, is an aviation personality and business history, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 1974 by Doubleday.

The book relates the life and times of mid 20th-century aviation pioneer Robert J. Six, a self-educated character with a colourful personality and adventures, with a focus on the business he co-founded from the 1930s onward to the post-WWII years and the changes in the airline industry over the ensuing decades.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.

[Free eBook] The First Ever English Olimpick Games by Celia Haddon [17th C Sports Event History

The First Ever English Olimpick Games by British author Celia Haddon, a journalist and former pet advice columnist for The Daily Telegraph, is a sports event history, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Endeavour Press.

This was originally published in 2004 by Hodder & Stoughton.

This gives an account of the Jacobean era attempt to revive the ancient Greek Olympic games as a sporting celebration in the English countryside now known as the Cotswold Olimpick Games, founded by lawyer Robert Dover and sponsored by King James I, as well as its enduring legacy as a recurring event for nearly two centuries, and later revival in the 1950s.

Offered worldwide, available at Amazon.