THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO OTHER BOOK EVER WRITTEN LIKE THIS ABOUT THE SUBJECT OF AEROPHILATELY AS INVOLVES PAN AMERICAN AIRWAYS, PANAGRA, ISTHMIAN AIRWAYS, AND SCADTA AS RELATED TO THE AMERICAN CANAL ZONE AND THE REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, AND THE MONUMENTAL CONTRIBUTION OF THESE AVIATION FIRMS RELATIVE TO THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. FOR ONE EXAMPLE, NO OTHER AIR MAIL BOOK CAN EQUAL THE NUMBER OF FIRST FLIGHT COVERS SIGNED BY PILOTS, POSTMASTERS, AND PERSONAGES ( INCLUDING JUAN TERRY TRIPPE, PRESIDENT OF PAN AM ), THAN THE AIR MAIL HISTORY OF THE CANAL ZONE AND PANAMA, 1918-1941. MOST PROMINENT ARE NUMEROUS COVERS SIGNED BY MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT CHARLES A. LINDBERGH AND ROOSEVELT MEDALIST GERALD D. BLISS, POSTMASTER, CRISTOBAL POST OFFICE, CANAL ZONE. ( PROBABLY, NONE EVER WILL. ) STRONGLY EVIDENT THROUGHOUT THIS BOOK IS THAT THE AMERICAN CANAL ZONE WAS NOT ONLY ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF THE PANAMA CANAL, BUT EQUALLY AS IMPORTANT WAS THAT DURING ITS ERA IT BECAME THE CENTER OR HUB OF ALL REGULAR AND AIR MAIL SERVICING BETWEEN MOST OF THE WORLD AND LATIN AMERICAN AND MOST OF THE CARIBBEAN. THIS IS A VITAL FACT THAT IS LITTLE APPRECIATED COMMERCIALLY, DIPLOMATICALLY, MILITARILY, AND POLITICALLY TODAY. COUNTLESS MORE WORDS COULD BE WRITTEN TO PROMOTE THIS BOOK, BUT SUFFICIENT TO SAY THAT FOR COMPETITIVE REASONS NO DEALER SHOULD BE WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF ITS CONGTENT, NOR SHOULD SERIOUS STAMP AND COVER COLLECTORS FOR PURPOSES OF BARGAIN BUYING AND HIGHER SELLING PRICES. OVER 1300 PAGES, AND WITH THAN 1100 ILLUSTRATIONS. IF THIS ITEM WERE OFFERED ON WALL STREET, IT WOULD BE A BLUE CHIP, LONG TERM INVESTMENT.