Hunting and Fishing From Airflyte to Ed Zern 1949 Nash Motors, Humorous Booklet!

Description

Up for sale is a terrific, and very funny, advertising booklet which will appeal to collectors of vintage automobilia and also to folks who are interested in ephemera related to the sportman's life (hunting and fishing).  It was written (and drawn) by a humorist whose column was a fixture in
Field and Stream
magazine for decades.
Title:
Hunting and Fishing From Airflyte to Ed Zern
Subtitle:
An Album of Outdoor Photos, Cartoons, and Stuff Like That
Author:  Ed Zern
Copyright:  1949 by Nash Motors, Division of Nash Kelvinator Corp.
Pages not numbered but there are 16 pages (including the covers).
Staple bound booklet measuring 8.5 inches by 5.5 inches.
On the back cover, lower left, appears:  "Form No. NSP-279"
Printed in U.S.A.
The Nash Airflyte, introduced in 1949, was a boldly different venture for the previously conservative company, a project championed by George W. Mason, who had been handpicked by founder Charles Nash to succeed as company president.  It had been under development for several years, actually dating back to 1943, when Nash was still in a war production mode.  The sleek and aerodynamically streamlined car was designed with the use of a wind tunnel.  Nils Wahlberg, who had come to Nash in 1917 (only a year after the company's founding), was in charge of the team that brought the Airflyte to market.  The car was only 62 inches tall (6 inches less than the 1948 Nash) but had more interior room.  It had a one piece curved windshield and fully enclosed wheels both front and rear.  The Airflyte averaged a remarkable 25 miles per gallon at highway speed!
This booklet specifically targeted the market of sportsmen as potential buyers of the Airflyte.  Both sides of the divided front seat fully reclined and could be used for sleeping.  See photo #5 of this listing.  In previous years, you had to extend your legs into the trunk in order to lay down on the rear seat.
Another photo in the booklet (not pictured in the listing photos) shows the Airflyte negotiating what Ed Zern refers to as "some godawful roads without scraping bottom", as Nash had increased road clearance compared to 1948.  (Zern acknowledges that the clearance was still not as much as a horse.)
The trunk held a "whopping" 28 cubic feet of space, enough for a big outdoor motor and all sorts of hunting or fishing gear.  The car even came with thin flexible screens that fit over the top of the doors to keep out insects.  The windows could be raised or lowered without disturbing the screens.
Ed Zern (1910 - 1994) had a long association with Nash Motors but also had a distinguished career of his own as a sporting life humorist.  He was a talented writer who had graduated in 1932 with a degree in English literature from Penn State.  He became a freelance writer, specializing in columns on hunting and fishing.  In 1945, his book
To Hell With Fishing
became a major success.  Zern was quoted as saying:  "I don't think many fishermen bought it.  People bought it to give to fishermen."  In the 1950s, he became a contributing editor to the new
Sports Illustrated
.  Starting in 1958, his column "Exit Laughing" appeared at the back of every issue of
Field and Stream
for the next 30 years.  Late in life, he developed Parkinson's disease.  He quipped:  "I shake a lot.  But it keeps my wristwatch wound."  Zern was a devoted environmentalist who created a program of awards given annually to conservationists who were employed in the not for profit sector.  He was also an advocate for non-discrimination in the hunting and fishing community.
Please see above for full description of condition and for photos.  Sold as is.
Attention US Buyers:  I will ship by USPS First Class Parcel or USPS Priority Mail, your choice.
Attention International Buyers:  Unfortunately, it appears that international shipping from the US (via the USPS) has become unreliable, because of the pandemic.  Therefore, I have decided to remove the international shipping option.  You are still welcome to bid on this item, but will need to supply a shipping address in the US.  I'm sorry for the inconvenience.  Thank you for your understanding.