It is said, “Never judge a book by its cover.”
At least that’s what my mother said when she took us to the library.
In the case of The Couriers of Herodotus, I am so proud of the beautiful artwork created by my good friend Jon Frank (https://www.aeromotiveartist.com/) that I think it gives a potential reader a good idea of what they might find in the book… or in Chapter 5 anyway.
When I think of what it was like to be a pilot flying the mail in the 1920’s, I have the image of a lone airman, facing the challenges of the elements with nothing but the most basic equipment. He is confident that the big 400 horsepower V-12 Liberty engine will continue to rumble and keep him above the dark, wilds of the Alleghany Mountains.
And most of the time, cold. Very cold.
In Chapter 5, we share a taste of this as Richard Clarke lives his dream on a cold dark night on the first leg of the westbound mail from New York to tiny Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
The beautiful painting takes you to a typical night run of the United States Air Mail. The solitary figure searches for the next light beacon indicating the path to Bellefonte. Increasing clouds ahead hint at challenges to come, but just another night to our valiant aviator. You can feel the cold. Alone in his cockpit, with no way of knowing the conditions ahead except his vision and experience, the aviator focuses confidently on his task; to get the mail through to its destination.
When I began putting together the research and the first drafts of text in what would become The Couriers of Herodotus, I didn’t know what the end result would be. One thing I did know was that the book would have a cover with art by Jon. Jon kept his J-3 Piper Cub in my hangar in Texas. Over the years we had the chance to share cockpits; first in his Cub and my Stearman and later in several of the great products of the Boeing Company, at the airline.
Jon, with his sketch book, always at the ready, appreciates the beauty of being in the air and has the gift of being able to capture and share with those who don’t have a chance to see things that we have seen. Jon brings his knowledge and love of history to his work, adding many accurate details. From the blue tint of the exhaust flame, indicating a perfect mixture of fuel and air, to the bit of grass stuck on the tail skid, new details emerge with every view. Can you judge a book by its cover? Read The Couriers of Herodotus and find out!
Photo Credit: Barb Frank (Jon’s wife)