Historical Fiction Short Stories Collection

Flying into action, daredevil photojournalist Johnny Brice is always looking for trouble . . . and more often than not, finding it. But he doesn't know what real trouble is until he rescues the beautiful woman he calls Jinx from a sinking ship. Like Bogie and Bacall, they're made for each other-even if they are a dangerous mix. Get the picture? Well, Johnny always does. The problem is, with Jinx now in the picture, all his photo-scoops are going down the drain-losing his film to water, fire or war. And it all comes to a head on assignment in China, when the Japanese shoot his plane down and take Jinx and Johnny prisoner. Their lives at risk, it's time for Johnny to get the real story about the lady. Is she really a jinx . . . or something even more sinister? In an adventure full of surprising discoveries, getting at the truth leads to the most shocking twist of all.L. Ron Hubbard had first-hand experience of flying high with Trouble on His Wings. As a young aviator, he loved to tempt danger. One journalist wrote: "The flaming-haired pilot hit the city like a tornado a few years ago. . . . He just dared the ground to come up and hit him." The knowledge and insight he gained during those flights is clearly evident in his aerial adventure stories.

Before Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark were even a gleam in Spielberg's eye, one intrepid pilot flew out of the sky in search of treasure . . . only to find a bit of hell on earth. Captain Gordon lives like he flies-by the seat of his pants, taking on any job and all comers. Now he's bound for the forbidding mountains along the shores of the Arabian Sea, transporting a team of anthropologists on the trail of Alexander the Great. But ancient history is about to come to dangerous life with the discovery of a long-buried map-a map leading to high adventure, untold treasure, and cold-blooded murder. . . .Gordon's headed deep into The Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead-unearthing a secret that could bury him. Not only was Hubbard steeped in the history of the ancient world, he was also an avid adventurer-both in his own right and as a respected member of the famed Explorers Club. As such, he brought a wealth of insight, experience and authenticity to all his tales of adventure. Also includes two additional adventures: The Price of a Hat, in which the key to the Russian Czar's life is hidden in a most unexpected place, and Starch and Stripes, the story of a U.S. Marine who sets a trap for a tropical warlord that reverberates all the way back to Washington.

Bat Conroy-cut him and he'd bleed ink, he's a born newspaperman. Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid-the greatest American journalists of the 20th century all made their names as war correspondents, but none of them would have beat out Bat Conroy to a good story. Which makes it that much more mystifying-and aggravating-when an unknown writer, filing under the byline Perry Lane, scoops Bat on every story that comes along. Bat's always been the go-to reporter covering the Japanese invasion of China . . . until this Perry Lane person came along to steal his thunder and maybe even his job. Now, the biggest story of the war is about to hit the fan, and Bat's going to get to the source first if it kills him. But the most shocking news of all is the true identity of the elusive Perry Lane. As a young man, Hubbard visited Manchuria, where his closest friend headed up British intelligence in northern China. Hubbard gained a unique insight into the intelligence operations and spy-craft in the region as well as the hostile political climate between China and Japan-a knowledge that informs stories like Inky Odds.

Pilot Pete England used to think there was nothing more exciting in the world than flying off into the wild blue yonder. But lately the blue yonder hasn't been wild at all . . . it's been downright dull. Pete's like a jaded Clark Gable who's hungry for adventure-and he's about to get his fill. Pete has fallen into a rut, flying the same route-New York to D.C.-with the same passengers, day after day after day. He might as well be driving a bus . . . until "her highness" climbs aboard. Apparently a princess, she's the Carole Lombard to Pete's Clark Gable, and for one flight, she's bought up every ticket on the plane. Once Pete gets her into the air, the action heats up fast. He learns that the lady is at the center of some international intrigue that could turn the tide of war . . . and now a mysterious plane is on their tail, bent on shooting them out of the sky. But that's the least of Pete's concerns. There's more to this princess than meets the eye, and falling in love with her could turn out to be the greatest flight risk of all. As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was dubbed "Flash" Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. Expanding his knowledge even more, he visited Boeing in Seattle where the president and chief engineer gave him an inside look at their test pilot program. His unique and pioneering insight of flight streaks across the page in novels like The Battling Pilot.

Take a touch of Charles Lindbergh, mix in a dash of Evel Knievel, throw in one man-killing cat-and you've got a recipe for a rip-roaring adventure featuring the high-flying, hard-living Smoke Burnham. There's not a dare Smoke won't take, and there's not a wager he won't make. Now he's betting his life that he can fly his plane, Super Comet-with his pet cheetah Patty coming along for the ride-across the mountains and jungles of South America to a prize-winning payday. All he has to do is out-race the competition, out-maneuver a saboteur, and make out with his girl-who's determined to bring him down to earth. One thing you can count on-in the air, in a fight, or in his girlfriend's arms-he's a man who likes to turn up the heat. Because where there's Smoke, there's fire. In 1931, as a student at George Washington University, Hubbard founded the college Glider Club and within a few months a respected columnist said "he is recognized as one of the outstanding glider pilots in the country." Later he wrote as the aviation correspondent for the prestigious flying magazine Sportsman Pilot. His combined writing and flying expertise comprised the perfect recipe to give stories like Man-Killers of the Air their authentic flavor.

They don't call him Caution Jones for nothing. An ace pilot, ever since his barnstorming father was killed in an air stunt, Jones has stuck strictly to business-as the no-nonsense general manager of Trans-Continental Airlines. But, like Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper, he's about to find that, sometimes, if you want to get anywhere, you have to throw caution to the wind. The race is on for a monster contract: the U.S. Postal Service. But to get it, Trans-Continental will have to circle the globe and beat its top competitor to the prize. And there's only one pilot with the skill to do it: Caution Jones. He'll have to dust off his wings and soar to heights even his father never dreamed of. The wild blue yonder has never been wilder as Jones discovers that the competition will go to any length to bring his plane down. But an even greater challenge sits in his own cockpit-his co-pilot. She's blonde, she's brazen, and she just might get Caution Jones to take the biggest risk of all. . . .L. Ron Hubbard, the pilot, was a sensation in his flying days. As an article in the July 1934 issue of The Pilot magazine said: "Wherever two or three pilots are gathered together around the Nation's Capital, whether it be a Congressional hearing, or just in the back of some hangar, you'll probably hear the name of Ron Hubbard mentioned . . . for the flaming haired pilot hit the city like a tornado a few years ago and made women scream and strong men weep by his aerial antics. He just dared the ground to come up and hit him." And straight from the cockpit to the typewriter, Hubbard brought all the thrills and chills of his flight experience to his stories. Includes the aviation adventure Boomerang Bomber, in which a former U.S. Army officer undertakes a mission for the Chinese only to end up in the crosshairs of Japan's Imperial military. In a world of double- and triple-crosses, this is one conflict that can only be settled in battle . . . in the sky.

Imagine a young Laurence Olivier cast as a scholarly Oxford professor-an academic snatched out of his bookish world and pressed into service aboard Lord Nelson's legendary British fleet-in the position of schoolmaster. Such is the life of the land-loving, seafaring Mister Tidwell, Gunner. Thrust into service at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Tidwell soon finds himself directly in the line of fire and way out of his depth. Fate has cast him into a terrible and terrifying spot-alone on deck to face the fearsome approach of a French man-o'-war. The professor is about to get an object lesson in war, self-reliance . . . and survival. Overwhelmed by the smell of gunpowder, the sound of cannons, and the sight of death, he will either experience the sweet taste of victory . . . or the bitter taste of his own blood. In an essay called Search for Research Hubbard wrote about how he came up with story ideas: "I want one slim, forgotten fact. From there a man can go anywhere. . . . In one old volume, for instance, I discovered that there was such a thing as a schoolmaster aboard Nelson's ships. . . . When did this occur? . . . The Napoleonic Wars." Drawing on this single obscure discovery, Hubbard delved deeper into the history and let his remarkable imagination do the rest. "Complete after a few days of search, I had my Mister Tidwell, Gunner." Also includes the sea adventures The Drowned City, the story of two deep-sea divers who set out in search of a long-lost treasure only to find that the waters are full of treacherous currents and even more treacherous men; and Submarine, in which a young sailor on leave enjoys a quiet interlude with his girlfriend-only to have it interrupted by a call to duty and danger.

Cast Spencer Tracy as Speed Kyle, master-builder of the hottest, fastest planes around. Then give the role of Cal Bradley, daredevil test pilot who pushes those planes to the limit, to a young hotshot like Tony Curtis. Add Grace Kelly as Speed's blond bombshell daughter who fears that Cal will go too far-and you've got a winner. And as far as Speed and Cal are concerned, winning is everything. Speed's company is bleeding cash, and they need money quick. They're competing in the upcoming National Air Meet, and to the victor goes the spoils-some extremely lucrative contracts. But there's sabotage in the air and love on the ground-and together they make a very volatile mix. If you love fast planes, fast action and unforgettable women, grab onto Hurtling Wings and hold on for dear life. As a barnstorming pilot in the early days of aviation, Hubbard was dubbed "Flash" Hubbard by the aviation magazines of the day. He covered air meets and the latest developments in aviation, advising pilots on flying in adverse conditions. His unique and pioneering insight of flight streaks across the page in novels like Hurtling Wings.

Long before Captain Jack Sparrow raised hell with the Pirates of the Caribbean, Tom Bristol sailed to hell and back Under the Black Ensign. That's where the real adventure begins. Bristol's had plenty of bad luck in his life. Press-ganged into serving aboard a British vessel, he's felt the cruel captain's lash on his back. Then, freed from his servitude by pirates, his good fortune immediately takes a bad turn . . . as the pirates accuse him of murder-and leave him to die on a deserted island. Now all he has left are a few drops of water, a gun, and just enough bullets to put himself out of his misery. But Bristol's luck is about to change. Finding himself in the unexpected company of a fiery woman and a crafty crew, he unsheathes his sword, raises a pirate flag of his own, and sets off to make love and war on the open seas. In his early twenties, Hubbard led the two-and-a-half-month, five-thousand-mile Caribbean Motion Picture Expedition. He followed that with the West Indies Mineralogical Expedition near San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he completed the island's first mineralogical survey as an American territory. It was during these two journeys that Hubbard became an expert on the Caribbean's colorful history-an expertise he drew on to write stories like Under the Black Ensign.

Riveting, historical accounts of daredevils, pilots and brutal madmen that inspire many of today's cinematic blockbusters. Step back in time with these thrilling tales that appeared in the pages of the most popular pulp fiction magazines of the 1930's and 1940's. The Collection includes: International Book Awards Winners: On Blazing Wings, Tomb of the Ten Thousand Dead, National Indie Excellence Award Winner: Under the Black Ensign as well as The Sky-Crasher, Sky Birds Dare!, Man-Killers in the Air, Inky Odds, Hurtling Wings, Trouble on His Wings, All Frontiers are Jealous & Yukon Madness.