Tells the remarkable story of the Republic XR-12 Rainbow, conceived towards the end of WW11 to meet the need  for a long-range, high-speed, photo reconnaissance aircraft for use in the Pacific theatre. What emerged was a startlingly beautiful four-engine aircraft with a top speed of 461 mph, not far short of the fastest single-piston engined fighters. Also told is the story of the XR-12’s competitor, Howard Hughes’ XF-11 twin-engined aircraft capable of 450 mph. The XR-12 was also proposed as a commercial airliner, but both projects were ultimately killed by the arrival of the jet engine. Fascinating story, which also comes close to being the story of the Republic company. Good text, 143 pages full of excellent B&W photos, and 9 pages of colour illustrations. Hardbound.