On 13 September 1931 the Schneider Trophy was won outright for Britain on Southampton Water by Flt Lt John Boothman flying Supermarine S6B, S1595, with a record-breaking average speed of 379.08mph. Ralph Pegram relates the story of the Schneider Trophy competitions and describes the development of British high-speed seaplane designs. He examines the anatomy of the S6B (including the Rolls-Royce R engine), as well as giving rare insights into its flying characteristics and how it was maintained, operated and - of course - raced in the final competition.

Popular history has a tendency to simplify, and accounts of the life and career of aeronautical engineer R.J. Mitchell are no exception. Remembered most fondly for his epochal Spitfire design, his other designs - many of them failures and disappointments - have largely been ignored. As a designer for Supermarine, Mitchell produced a huge body of concepts, projects and ideas that never left the drawing board. In Beyond the Spitfire Ralph Pegram brings Mitchell's previously unseen work to light in an attempt to evaluate the entire portfolio of one of Britain's most talented aeronautical designers. Illustrated with a combination of layout drawings and impressive CGI renderings of Mitchell's designs, this book is an insightful and indispensable addition to our understanding of the work of a man often called a genius.