While browsing my collection of Howard Hughes titles, I picked up
this copy of D D Hatfield's Aircraft Series 'Howard Hughes H-4
Hercules' published in 1972. This is a 105 page paperback full of
photographs, with captions, providing a pictorial progress of the
construction of the Hercules with Howard Hughes featured in several
of the pictures. The last 8 pages are of individual portraits of
Howard Hughes at different stages of his life. Also included is the
specification and other technical data of the Hercules. D D
Hatfield's introduction states "This pictorial presentation of the
story of the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules flying boat is intended only
as a brief history of the development and not a complete in-depth
study.....In order to clarify the background of Howard Hughes we have
included a few illustrations of his other accomplishments also
character studies of this remarkable genius." The "other
accomplishments" featured include images from the movie 'Hell's
Angels', the Boeing 100 1932, HH in front of the Northrop Gamma 1936,
the H-1 Racer, the crew of the 1938 Round the World Flight, Hughes XF-
11 1946 and the crash scene, Hughes XF-11A and the Hughes XH-17 giant
helicopter. That one man could be responsible for so many ground-
breaking projects is testament to his genius. This is a very
interesting and useful pictorial reference book and I would recommend
it to anyone interested either in Howard Hughes or aviation
development.