Wealth. Influence. Magnetism. Mystery. In twentieth century America, one man alone embodied all these qualities in their purest form. During a life which read like the wildest imaginings of a Hollywood scriptwriter, Howard Hughes - billionaire tycoon, pioneer aviator, playboy, eccentric and movie mogul - became a totem of fascination around the globe. In his twilight years, the mystery surrounding him intensified when he became a total recluse, hiding himself away in shady hotel suites for more than a decade. Some believed ...
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Wealth. Influence. Magnetism. Mystery. In twentieth century America, one man alone embodied all these qualities in their purest form. During a life which read like the wildest imaginings of a Hollywood scriptwriter, Howard Hughes - billionaire tycoon, pioneer aviator, playboy, eccentric and movie mogul - became a totem of fascination around the globe. In his twilight years, the mystery surrounding him intensified when he became a total recluse, hiding himself away in shady hotel suites for more than a decade. Some believed him to be dead; others thought he had gone crazy. Few really knew the truth - just as Hughes preferred.The ambiguity surrounding him spawned one of the first modern media obsessions. Speculation abounded, from the business pages of broadsheets through international magazine articles down to the sidewalk opinion-makers. And unsurprisingly there were few books written about Hughes' fascinating life - a life which was rumoured to be on the brink of ruin. So New York author and journalist Clifford Irving set out to do what no one else had done before.In late 1970, Irving ran into an old friend and fellow scribe, Richard Suskind. The two men struck up a conversation about the legendary Hughes, whose recent shadowy globetrotting had caused a sensation in newspapers around the world. It was this conversation that gave Irving the idea to write the 'autobiography' of Howard Hughes. Skillfully convincing the publishing world that he had the direct input of Hughes himself, his colleagues and friends, Irving wrote his book, interweaving accurate research with outlandish fiction, and sold it to a publisher for a record advance of $1m, hitting headlines around the world...But eventually the tall tale unravelled - the book was unmasked as a hoax. Irving went to prison and the sensational manuscript, described as 'the most famous unpublished book of the century', lay untouched for over 30 years - until now. For the first time, here is the incredible, unexpurgated life story of one of history's most intriguing figures.
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Add this copy of Howard Hughes: My Story to cart. $352.47, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2018 by John Blake Publishing Ltd.
Add this copy of Howard Hughes Signed Photograph to cart. $9,507.00, like new condition, Sold by Raptis Rare Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Palm Beach, FL, UNITED STATES.
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Rare United States Air Force photograph of legendary aviator Howard Hughes, Major General Oscar Westover, and General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold. Signed and inscribed by each aviation pioneer, "O. Westover Maj. Gen. A.C. Chief of the Air Corps", "Howard Hughes", and "H. Arnold Brig Gen. A.C." Major General Oscar Westover succeeded Benjamin Foulois as Chief of the Air Corps in 1935 and, on September 21, 1938, perished in an air crash at Burbank, California. Henry H. Arnold succeeded Westover as Chief of Air Corps on September 29, 1938. Arnold rose to command the Army Air Forces immediately prior to the American entry into World War II and directed its hundred-fold expansion from an organization of little more than 20, 000 men and 800 first-line combat aircraft into the largest and most powerful air force in the world. He additionally moonlighted as a silent film stunt pilot and was portrayed on film by actor Walter O. Miles in the 1977 American made-for-television biographical film The Amazing Howard Hughes, starring Tommy Lee Jones as Hughes. In 1946, Hughes performed the first flight of the prototype U.S. Army Air Forces reconnaissance aircraft, the XF-11, near Hughes airfield at Culver City, California. The XF-11 crashed in Beverly Hills, destroying three houses. Hughes was rescued by Marine Master Sgt. William L. Durkin, who happened to be in the area visiting friends. It is rumored that Hughes sent a check to the Marine weekly for the remainder of his life as a sign of gratitude. In fine condition. Exceptionally rare, signed three major figures in the history of American aviation. Howard Hughes was an American business magnate, investor, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most financially successful individuals in the world. Hughes formed the Hughes Aircraft Company in 1932, hiring numerous engineers and designers. He spent the rest of the 1930s and much of the 1940s setting multiple world air speed records and building the Hughes H-1 Racer and H-4 Hercules (the Spruce Goose). He acquired and expanded Trans World Airlines and later acquired Air West, renaming it Hughes Airwest. Hughes was included in Flying Magazine's list of the 51 Heroes of Aviation, ranked at No. 25. Today, his legacy is maintained through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Howard Hughes Corporation.
