Characteristics

Description

About the Series

Published in the United Kingdom between 1960 and 1973, Profile Publications remains one of the most respected aviation monograph series ever produced.

Each issue is devoted to a single aircraft type and presents:

• Development and design history

• Technical analysis

• Operational service record

• Archival black & white photography

• Accurate scale drawings

• Colour profile artwork

Recognisable by their distinctive red-and-white covers, these booklets became essential reference material for aviation historians, researchers and serious scale modelers.

Today, they represent a remarkable editorial achievement: a structured documentary panorama of twentieth-century aviation, from the First World War to the early jet era.

The PROFILE PUBLICATIONS series was issued in distinct editorial phases:

Early Series (1960–1963)

Foundational period of the series.
Primarily WWII and interwar aircraft, strong RAF and Luftwaffe focus.

Issues in this selection from this phase:
1–29

Expansion Period (1964–1968)

Broader international coverage.
Increased inclusion of WWI aircraft and early jet types.

Issues in this selection from this phase:
34–40
43–69
80–109

Late Series (1969–1973)

Mature editorial stage.
More specialized types, civil aircraft and lesser-documented variants.

Issues in this selection from this phase:
153–204

Available Issues

Comparable issues currently trade between €5 and €10 each on the secondary market.

Number 1 — S.E.5a
Number 2 — Boeing P-26A
Number 3 — Focke-Wulf Fw 190A
Number 4 — Hawker Hunter F.6
Number 5 — Vickers F.B.27 Vimy
Number 6 — Bristol Bulldog
Number 7 — Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
Number 8 — North American P-51D Mustang
Number 9 — Albatros D.V
Number 10 — Messerschmitt Bf 110
Number 11 — Hawker Hurricane
Number 12 — Fairey Gannet
Number 13 — Hawker Typhoon
Number 14 — Boeing P-26A
Number 15 — Heinkel He 111
Number 16 — de Havilland Vampire
Number 17 — de Havilland DH.4
Number 18 — Hawker Fury
Number 19 — Consolidated B-24J Liberator
Number 20 — Gloster Gladiator
Number 21 — Hawker Hurricane
Number 22 — Gloster Meteor
Number 23 — Hawker Hurricane
Number 24 — Curtiss P-40
Number 25 — Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Number 26 — Fokker D.VII
Number 27 — Boeing F4B-4
Number 28 — Macchi C.202
Number 29 — Junkers Ju 88
Number 34 — Hawker Typhoon
Number 35 — Curtiss P-40
Number 36 — Gloster Javelin
Number 37 — Curtiss JN-4
Number 38 — Fokker Monoplanes
Number 39 — Supermarine S.4–S.6B
Number 40 — Bristol F.2B
Number 43 — Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa
Number 44 — Fairey III
Number 45 — Curtiss Army Hawks
Number 46 — Vought F4U-1 Corsair
Number 47 — de Havilland Vampire Mk.5 & 9
Number 48 — de Havilland Vampire Mk.5 & 9
Number 49 — Chance Vought F4U-1 Corsair
Number 50 — English Electric P.1
Number 51 — Hawker Hunter F.6
Number 52 — Gloster Meteor Night Fighters
Number 53 — Armstrong Whitworth AW.52
Number 54 — English Electric Canberra Mk.1 & IV
Number 55 — Fokker Dr.I
Number 56 — Fairey Flycatcher
Number 57 — Hawker Hart
Number 58 — Handley Page Hampden
Number 59 — North American B-25A to G Mitchell
Number 60 — Douglas Skyrider
Number 61 — SVA (Ansaldo) Scouts
Number 62 — de Havilland D.H.9
Number 63 — Fokker D.XXI
Number 64 — Macchi MC.200
Number 65 — Avro Lancaster I
Number 66 — Vickers Valiant
Number 67 — Fokker D.VIII
Number 68 — Thomas-Morse Scout
Number 69 — Henschel Hs 129
Number 80 — Grumman F8F Bearcat
Number 81 — Hawker Typhoon
Number 82 — Mitsubishi Ki-46
Number 83 — Mirage III
Number 84 — Short Empire Boats
Number 85 — R.E.8
Number 86 — Siemens-Schuckert D III & IV
Number 87 — Fokker C.V
Number 88 — Ilyushin Il-2
Number 89 — Savoia Marchetti S.M.79
Number 90 — Chance Vought F8U Crusader
Number 91 — de Havilland D.H.2
Number 92 — Heinkel He 111 Series
Number 93 — Bristol Blenheim I
Number 94 — Focke-Wulf Fw 190D/Ta 152 Series
Number 95 — Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
Number 96 — Douglas DC-3 (Civil)
Number 97 — American D.H.4
Number 98 — Gloster Gladiator
Number 99 — Focke-Wulf Fw 200
Number 100 — North American Mustang P-51
Number 101 — Dornier Do 335
Number 102 — Hawker Tempest
Number 103 — Kawasaki Ki-45 Toryu
Number 104 — PZL P.23 Karas
Number 105 — Supermarine S.5/S.6
Number 106 — Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Number 107 — Grumman F8F Bearcat
Number 108 — de Havilland Comet Series
Number 109 — Curtiss P-40
Number 153 — Armstrong Whitworth Whitley
Number 154 — Commonwealth Wirraway
Number 155 — North American T-28
Number 156 — Sopwith Dolphin
Number 157 — Avro York
Number 158 — Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk X & XIX
Number 159 — Bell P-39 Airacobra
Number 160 — Dornier Do 17 & 215
Number 161 — Douglas DC-6 & C-118
Number 162 — Breguet 763 Provence
Number 163 — Macchi MC.202
Number 164 — Vickers Vimy
Number 165 — Gloster Javelin
Number 166 — Commonwealth Boomerang
Number 167 — Hawker Hunter
Number 168 — Bristol 52 Series
Number 169 — Sopwith Dolphin
Number 170 — Hawker Sea Fury
Number 171 — Curtiss SOC Seagull
Number 172 — Junkers Ju 52
Number 173 — Supermarine Spitfire Mk V
Number 174 — De Havilland Hornet
Number 175 — Phoenix Scouts
Number 176 — Polikarpov I-16
Number 177 — Heinkel He 162
Number 178 — Commonwealth Boomerang
Number 179 — Gloster Javelin
Number 180 — Dornier Do 335
Number 181 — Avro Lancaster
Number 182 — Hawker Typhoon
Number 183 — Potez 63 Series
Number 184 — Messerschmitt Bf 109F
Number 185 — Yak 9 Series
Number 186 — Canadair Sabre
Number 187 — Junkers Monoplanes
Number 188 — Fiat G.50
Number 189 — Short Sunderland
Number 190 — Hawker Sea Fury
Number 191 — Fairey Swordfish
Number 192 — Bristol 188
Number 193 — Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Number 194 — Curtiss SB2C Helldiver
Number 195 — Potez 63 Series
Number 196 — Dornier Do 17
Number 197 — Hawker Tempest I–VI
Number 198 — Hawker P.1127 & Kestrel
Number 199 — Pfalz D XII
Number 200 — Gloster Meteor
Number 201 — Airocoach 151 & 152
Number 202 — Douglas A-20 (7A to Boston III)
Number 203 — Heinkel He 162
Number 204 — Lockheed P-2V Neptune

Publisher and History of Profile Publications

Profile Publications was originally published in the United Kingdom by Profile Publications Ltd, a specialist aviation publisher based in Leatherhead, Surrey. The series began in the early 1960s at a time when detailed aircraft monographs were rare, and quickly became known for its focused, single-aircraft format and strong combination of technical detail, period photography and scale drawings.

The books were often printed at modest cost with distinctive red-and-white covers and sold internationally, especially in the UK, US and Europe, where they became standard reference material for aviation enthusiasts, historians and scale modelers.

Editorial Focus

Unlike broad surveys or general aviation history titles, Profile Publications issues were monographs — each dedicated to one aircraft type. Their concise format made them easy to collect and reference, and their focus on development, design, service history, and visual documentation set them apart from other series of the era.

The series covers aircraft from:

• First World War fighters

• Interwar types

• Second World War combat aircraft

• Early jet and post-war designs

Publication Status

The original Profile Publications monograph series was published primarily between 1960 and 1973. After this period, production of new numbers effectively ceased, and the series did not continue as a regularly updated editorial line beyond that era.

Subsequent aviation publishing trends shifted toward larger format books, illustrated histories, and multi-author compilations, so there has not been a formal continuation of Profile Publications by its original format or title.

Today, the original issues are no longer in active publication through a mainstream press, but they remain widely collected and traded in the secondary market, and they are often referenced in aviation bibliographies and modeler resources.

Collectors and specialists prize them both for historical content and as representative artifacts of mid-20th-century aviation publishing.