Also Gertrude is correct, The Design of the Aeroplane has been in my library for over 25 years and is one of my most valued books, alongside Fate is the hunter.
The late, and very great, Dr. Darrol Stinton wrote three books, all of which I value highly. These are:
- The Anatomy of the Aeroplane
- The Design of the Aeroplane
- Flying Qualities and Flight Testing of the Aeroplane.
Personally I value the last most, but value of all them a great deal. I would however have thought that "Anatomy" would be the most valuable to a private pilot wanting to expand their aeronautical knowledge - it was based upon ETPS course notes produced when the staff, and in particular Darrol, decided that student test pilots just didn't know enough about how aeroplanes worked. "Design" is aimed at aircraft designers and aeronautical engineering students, whilst "FT&FQ" is aimed at flight test professionals.
They are in danger now of getting slightly out of date since he sadly died at Christmas, but there are some moves afoot to have some suitable aeronautical grown-ups keep them revised and updated for years going forward.
G