As a small boy, I had several copies of the Observer’s Book of Aircraft. But what I really, really wanted was Janes All the World’s Aircraft, aka JAWA. (Not to be confused with the Czech motorcycles of the same name). Can’t recall how I learned about this magical book detailing every current aircraft in the world, but my vague sense of wonder still persists.
Along with memories of going into the charming old fashioned bookshop in Enfield Town. And a numbing sense of shock when a nice man told us the astronomical cost. The original price in 1965 was £8 8s 0d – more than £160 in today’s money. That was a lot of pocket money and was just never going to happen. All very disappointing.
Sticker shock
So I never bought the 1965 Observer’s Book of Aircraft. I’d set my heart on Janes, until I learned the eye-watering price – it could literally have been eye-watering at that tender age. The term “sticker shock” was apparently first used around 1980 but the phenomenon itself clearly wasn’t new.
By the time I’d gone through all the stages of grief, the 1966 Observer’s book was already in the shops.
Despite its cost, the book is packed with retro advertisements e.g. for the then new-ish Boeing Chinook helicopter. (It misses a major selling point – 100 years later, the Chinook would still be in front line US service.)
This vintage copy of Janes is still impressive and full of interesting stuff. For example it reminds us how little information there was about Soviet aircraft in the public domain. And it has the unbeatable appeal of a big book, with lots of pictures of aeroplanes.
If you’re looking for something less retro, a printed copy of this year’s edition will set you back £915. Janes All the Worlds Aircraft can still cause sticker shock today.
The 1965-66 copy which I found on eBay cost less than the original cover price. I had finally achieved one of my childhood ambitions, for only £8 plus p&p. If only my other ambitions had been so straightforward. And so cheap, Hang onto your dreams, it’s never too late.