[Frank Olynyk]

Chris met with John Davies of Grub Street on Thursday and Friday, and they were able to come to some conclusions on the first volume of Mediterranean Air War (MAW). The current manuscript is about 460 pages of A4 paper. There will be about 250 photographs, plus a number of maps. The book will be about the size of Above the Trenches (which was 400 pages), and Chris expects it to be about 450 pages in length, on good quality paper. I don't know if the photos will be mixed in with the text, or bound as signatures in the book (as in Above the Trenches, and Aces High). The format will be similar to the 2TAF volumes, with daily text followed by list(s) of claims and losses for all sides. It should be quite readable, as in this volume he has the space to describe events. Later volumes may be more terse, as the amount of aerial activity increases, although the time being covered is reduced. MAW1 covers almost 19 months, June 1940 to mid-January 1942. The next volume to be written will cover mid-May 1943 to the end of October 1943 (at least as currently planned). Then presumably back to Jan 1942, and so forth. He looks forward to the research and writing on the May-Oct 1943 period with enthusiasm.

Enjoy!

Frank.