When you think of Seattle as the birthplace of the Boeing Company, it might not come as a huge surprise that the Central Library has a Special Collection of historical materials on aviation. In fact, the Aviation Room originated with a startup gift from the Boeing Company in 1928.
Items in this room range from rare to commonplace, but taken together they represent a treasure-trove for the historical aviation buff. The collection covers many aspects aeronautical history: balloons, airplane manufacturers, engines, local airlines, airports, rockets, and much more. You’ll find back-issues of periodicals like Flying and Aviation which feature fascinating period articles about aviators and machines alike. However, as a historical collection, you won’t find the latest and greatest technologies represented here.
Just to give you a taste of some other things you can find in the Aviation room, below are some highlights:
“The war in the air; being the story of the part played in the great 
war by the Royal Air Force” This set of books chronicles the role of aviation in World War I. They provide detailed descriptions of the technology of the day and tell the story of how it was used during World War I. Included are sets of route maps showing German air raids on England.
“First American reports of the Wright Brothers flight, 1904-1905”
Quite curious at first take, this box contains seven copies of a bee-keeping magazine called “Gleanings in Bee Culture” from 1904-1905. Alongside bee-keeping articles on “putting swarms back” author A.I. Root describes the Wright brothers’ first flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. “The machine was made something after the fashion of a box kite. A gasoline engine moved propeller wheels that pulled it against the wind.” (p. 241) Root’s entries are the first published account of the historic flights. Incidentally, NOVA has a nice article about A. I. Root and his place in history: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/wright/reporter.html
“Autobiography of Robert Hutchings Goddard, father of the space age”
Goddard was a rocket propulsion pioneer who laid the groundwork in mathematics and engineering that made the achievement of space flight possible. A teeny-tiny book (at a mere 2.9 inches in height – this is no exaggeration!) about a great figure in history.
What do we mean by “Special Collection?” In the case of the Aviation Room, this is a unique group of items that are made available for researchers today and also for future generations. This means that none of these particular items can be checked out. However, if you are looking for an aviation book to take home and read — do not fear — not all of the library’s aviation books are in the Aviation Room. In some cases you will find duplicate copies, or books on the same topic, at Central or branch libraries that can be checked out.
The Aviation Room collection is found in the “Maffei Family Aviation Room” at the Central Library. If you are coming to use the materials from the Aviation Room, come to the Seattle Room during open hours. For aviation materials in the general collection, come to the 7th floor Business, Science and Technology desk. *
If this post appeals to you, we hope you will visit us.
~ Jay L, Central Library
[* adapted 3/10/14 to reflect current access procedures]
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