Count Luckner, The Sea Devil.

First edition of this captivating biography of German nobleman and naval officer Count Felix von Luckner. Octavo, original publisher's cloth, top stain yellow, cartographic endpapers, frontispiece of Count Felix von Luckner, illustrated with black and white photographs and drawings. Association copy, inscribed by Luckner on the verso of the frontispiece, "May good winds fill the sails of your ship of life and God's luckiest stars guide your course but always remember that the pleasing of your dear parents remain your guiding light to bring you safe to port. To my dear young friend Bill Vanderkloot with a shipload of good wishes from the Sea-Devil, Felix Count Luckner, Detroit, II.8.51." The recipient, William Vanderkloot was an American pilot who played a notable role during World War II as a civilian aviator entrusted with high-priority missions for the British government. Most famously, he piloted Prime Minister Winston Churchill on several wartime flights, including a critical journey to Moscow in 1942, demonstrating both exceptional skill and the strategic importance of transatlantic aviation in Allied diplomacy. Very good in a very good dust jacket. Rare and desirable signed and inscribed.