e99 Online Shopping Mall

Geometry.Net - the online learning center Help  
Home  - Basic A - Aviation Biographies (Books)

  Back | 61-80 of 100 | Next 20
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  

click price to see details     click image to enlarge     click link to go to the store

$7.65
61. Black Wings: Courageous Stories
 
$5.95
62. Remembering VAdm. James Bond Stockdale,
63. The Oklahoma Aviation Story
$25.11
64. Coming to Colorado: A Young Immigrant’s
$11.22
65. Blue Skies, Black Wings: African
$21.34
66. Because I Fly:A Collection of
$10.00
67. Stars of the Sky, Legends All:
$32.44
68. A Moment In Time - The Biography
$3.98
69. The Wright Brothers: Aviation
 
70. A View from the Hover: My Life
$12.55
71. Where's the Runway?And Other Flying
 
$16.95
72. Black Aviator: The Story of William
 
$152.89
73. The Montgolfier Brothers and the
$16.08
74. Capt Jepp and the Little Black
75. Wilbur and Orville: A Biography
 
76. Pioneers of Aviation: a Photo-Biography:
 
77. Pioneers of Aviation: a Photo-Biography
 
78. Mr. Mac: William P. MacCracken,
$2.00
79. The Wright Brothers: The Remarkable
$15.00
80. Charles A. Lindbergh: Lone Eagle

61. Black Wings: Courageous Stories of African Americans in Aviation and Space History
by Von Hardesty
Hardcover: 192 Pages (2008-02-01)
list price: US$21.95 -- used & new: US$7.65
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0061261386
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description

Colin Powell once observed that "a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." This sentiment is mirrored dramatically in the story of African Americans in aerospace history.

The invention of the airplane in the first decade of the twentieth century sparked a revolution in modern technology. Aviation in the popular mind became associated with adventure and heroism. For African Americans, however, this new realm of human flight remained off-limits, a consequence of racial discrimination. Many African Americans displayed a keen interest in the new air age, but found themselves routinely barred from gaining training as pilots or mechanics. Beginning in the 1920s, a small and widely scattered group of black air enthusiasts challenged this prevailing pattern of racial discrimination. With no small amount of effort—and against formidable odds—they gained their pilot licenses and acquired the technical skills to become aircraft mechanics.

Over the course of the twentieth century and into the twenty-first, African Americans have expanded their participation in both military and civilian aviation and space flight, from the early pioneers and barnstormers through the Tuskegee airmen to Shuttle astronauts.

Featuring approximately two hundred historic and contemporary photographs and a lively narrative that spans eight decades of U.S. history, Black Wings offers a compelling overview of this extraordinary and inspiring saga.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

5-0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable History
I first learned about the Tuskegee Airmen, the African-American fighter pilots of WWII, and their famous red tail P-51 Mustangs after meeting the late Don Hinz at a local airfield.Hinz and his project to restore one of these P-51 planes piqued my interest, and curiosity led to my delving into the history of black American aviators.

Now, we have Von Hardesty's wonderful book Black Wings to describe this history, beginning with the barnstorming days of aviatrix Bessie Coleman and concluding with the highly specialized men and women of the Astronaut Corps.It is a poignant and inspirational story of people who dreamed of flying and their attempts to break through discrimination and barriers, including flight schools that refused to teach them and an elitist all-white U.S. Army Air Corps whose officers insisted that blacks couldn't successfully pilot military aircraft.

This 180-page book features 200 remarkable historic and contemporary photographs, many depicting the segregated days of flying:black aviation clubs, a movie flier announcing a "colored" cast, and a 1931 air show billed as a "colored air circus," among others.I recommend this book wholeheartedly, a great addition to readers' collections.

Kathleen Winters, author of Anne Morrow Lindbergh: First Lady of the Air

5-0 out of 5 stars Fantastic photography
This book looks at a little-remembered group of black men who, with their abilities and initiatives and creativity, became a valuable working unit of the military. The photographs are great.Written very well, with empathy and understanding, from the author's meetings with relatives and friends of these fliers. ... Read more


62. Remembering VAdm. James Bond Stockdale, 1923-2005.(Obituary)(Biography): An article from: Naval Aviation News
by John Sherwood
 Digital: 3 Pages (2005-09-01)
list price: US$5.95 -- used & new: US$5.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: B000BOSDTK
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Naval Aviation News, published by Thomson Gale on September 1, 2005. The length of the article is 719 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Remembering VAdm. James Bond Stockdale, 1923-2005.(Obituary)(Biography)
Author: John Sherwood
Publication: Naval Aviation News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 87Issue: 6Page: 29(1)

Article Type: Obituary

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more


63. The Oklahoma Aviation Story
by Keith Tolman, Kim Jones, Carl Gregory, Bill Moore
Hardcover: 188 Pages (2005-01-01)
list price: US$29.95
Isbn: 188559643X
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
A book detailing the history of aviation in Oklahoma. Some of the prominent figures include Wiley Post, Will Rogers, Tom Stafford, Erle Halliburton, William Skelley, Frank Phillips, Jerrie Cobb, Mary Haizlip, Paul and Tom Braniff, etc. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars Book Review
Despite the fact that Oklahoma has one of the richest aviation histories in the country little has been written about it. Aviators like Wiley Post, the Hazlips, astronaut Tom Stafford, Clyde Cessna, and many others came out of Oklahoma. Oklahoma's aviation heritage is as rich if not richer than many states who get far more credit for doing less. The book is an excellent look into that history. It was a finalist in the 2006 Oklahoma book awards by the Oklahoma Center for the Book; it is also a 2005 American Library Association Notable Document and received an Oklahoma Governor's Commendation. It covers the period from ballooning during the late 1800's to the space age and the many astronauts who have come from the state. It is highly recommended and a good read for the professional historian or just someone just interested in aviation. ... Read more


64. Coming to Colorado: A Young Immigrant’s Journey to Become an American Flyer (Willie Morris Books in Memoir and Biography)
by Wolfgang W. E. Samuel
Hardcover: 336 Pages (2006-08-29)
list price: US$35.00 -- used & new: US$25.11
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1578069025
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
In his acclaimed memoir German Boy: A Refugee’s Story, Wolfgang W. E. Samuel relates his experiences as a child surviving war and the hellish aftermath in occupied Germany. On January 24, 1951, exactly six years after his traumatic flight from Russian tanks, Samuel finds himself standing at the railing of a ship taking him to the land of his dreams—America.

Coming to Colorado, sequel to German Boy, is the story of a refugee from war and deprivation, who at age sixteen, not understanding a word of English and with barely an eighth-grade education, leaves behind all that was familiar. Scarred by the violence, rape, and death he has seen, Samuel must first learn to be a boy again. But every relationship he tries to build must overcome the specter of his childhood experience in World War II and the chaos that followed.

Shortly after his arrival in Colorado, Samuel spends what little money he has on a pair of second lieutenant’s bars that he finds in a Denver pawnshop. These bars, just like those worn by the American pilots he idolized during the Berlin Airlift, reminded him of the airmen and the planes that instilled in him a dream to fly.

That aspiration, however, faces long odds. Struggling to learn the English language and American customs, Samuel begins to lose faith in his abilities, suffers depression, and is haunted by both recurring nightmares of his violent past and survivor’s guilt.

Coming to Colorado charts the path of Samuel’s eventual triumph, despite repeated failures and unusual detours. In 1960, his proud mother saw pinned on his shoulders the gold bars of a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. It was the end of a struggle for the German boy, who had become, as he wished, the ultimate American. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Wolfgang,
You did a very nice piece in your book about my late father Dean Stutz. You were his true best friend for life. I will always read your books.

K. Stutz

5-0 out of 5 stars German boy becomesan American boy
This is an excellent book and it was written so people that did not read German Boy can understand.German Boy was written in a different style and I enjoyed it slightly more than this one.It basically leaves off in January 1963 and leaves you wanting more and wondering if he will write the third book.

I was amazed at how open he was in writing about his life.I highly recommend this book because it is a rare opportunity to hear the next part of the story of his life.Too many times you read a book about someone onlyto have questions, this answers most of the question you have.

His son becomes a 2nd Lt. and wears the same bars he purchased when he began to form his goal to become a pilot.This book is an example of the US became great, through people who worked hard to better themselves and become Americans.

I purchased this new and am happy I did.

5-0 out of 5 stars Worthy sequel to a great book
This is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed "German Boy".Those put off by Samuel's seemingly photographic memory may find his relentlessly detailed account of life in the United States to be a bit unbelievable.I, however, find his writing style very compelling, and although I am not a native speaker of German, the word "deutlich" kept coming to my mind as I read this book, meaning "articulate, clear, lucid, and precise" and presumably also fundamentally very "German" ("Deutsch").

Samuel's own life-story is so carefully chronicled that on one rare occasion when he says he doesn't remember exactly where his mother was at that moment it is actually a little disconcerting.

There is enough flashback to events in "German Boy" that this book can stand on its own: there would certainly be nothing wrong with reading this book first.His focus here is of course on the immigrant experience, and anyone specifically interested in that topic need not read "German Boy" to appreciate "Coming to Colorado".

I particularly enjoyed reading about life in the early days of the U.S. Air Force, and I find myself now motivated to read his other two books "American Raiders" and "I Always Wanted to Fly".Samuel's book is also a reminder that for those who experienced it first-hand, Communism was, and is, a very bad thing, and not just some kind of alternative political lifestyle.

5-0 out of 5 stars Review: Coming to Colorado
I feel glad that I read this one last from the five books by Wolfgang Samuel. But I suspect that I might have felt the same way if there had been a different order. I have traveled a long way with the author, first as a German Boy and finished with a tower of strength well-rounded American boy Captain Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, later to retire as a Colonel in the USAF. The Colonel certainly gained my trust, my loyalty, and my admiration as a boy and then a man, Air Force Officer and author. His use of simile is very clever.And he can paint a detail and beautiful picture of anything perceived by the eye, be man, beast, or scenery. I found Coming to Colorado as worthy as the other four titles. I must confess that I felt a pervasive melancholy because I was about to lose contact: the end of a fine movie, an enjoyable trip of the human spirit overcoming obstacles, its wisdom. Holy, holy, what a tremendous experience! THANK YOU.

5-0 out of 5 stars An Amazing and Extraordinary Story
Wolfgang Samuel has been one of my very favorite authors since I picked up his exceptional book, German Boy, in a London airport several years ago.This book was a page-turner, poignant and beautiful, the story of a young boy filled with a dream.I have bought every book he has written, and Coming to Colorado brought his story forward to show how much he loves America and flying.His is a continuing story of hope, innocence, familial love, courage, and overcoming whatever obstacles stood in his path.It is a testimony to good overcoming evil.I highly recommend both these books by Wolf Samuel.
... Read more


65. Blue Skies, Black Wings: African American Pioneers of Aviation
by Samuel L. Broadnax
Paperback: 208 Pages (2008-10-01)
list price: US$17.95 -- used & new: US$11.22
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0803217749
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description

At the age of seventeen, Samuel L. Broadnax, enamored with flying, enlisted and trained as a pilot at the Tuskegee Army Air Base. Although he left the Air Corps at the end of the Second World War, his experiences inspired him to talk with other pilots and black pioneers of aviation. Blue Skies, Black Wings recounts the history of African Americans in the skies from the very beginnings of manned flight.

From Charles Wesley Peters, who flew his own plane in 1911, and Eugene Bullard, a black American pilot with the French in World War I, to the 1945 Freeman Field mutiny against segregationist policies in the Air Corps, Broadnax paints a vivid picture of the people who fought oppression to make the skies their own.
(20080325) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read
At times moving and other times funny, this book gives it all, as well as being historical. It should be a must read in schools. ... Read more


66. Because I Fly:A Collection of Aviation Poetry
by Helmut H. Reda
Hardcover: 232 Pages (2001-10-12)
list price: US$16.95 -- used & new: US$21.34
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 007138085X
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
This book is the most complete, up-to-date collection of aviation poetry ever published. Its sole purpose is to consolidate all of the best in aviation poetry and inspirational verse. Helmut Reda examined over 115 books and magazines in the United States, England, Canada, France, and Australia. He also investigated over 42,500 hits on the Internet. From his exhaustive research, 170 poems were selected covering the period between 1869 and 2001.

This collection of poetry serves as an exciting introduction to the experience of flight. These poems will fascinate your family and expose them to an expanded world with new dimensions, freedoms, and even the beauty and dangers of flight. For the pilot, the poems will take your spirit aloft to rekindle your bond with other airmen. This collection will help others understand pilots and why they do things in a different way. If you are truly intrigued by flight, this book is for you! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

5-0 out of 5 stars Because I fly review
I've been looking for such a book for a great many years, congratulations to Helmut H. for putting it together, well worth it top any flying type.

5-0 out of 5 stars This is how it feels, your thoughts as print.
Everyone who has experienced flight (and those who long to) can relate to the sheer emotion that it evokes, sometimes from deep within ones soul, often pleasant, sometimes not. As you are experiencing the sensations you may frequently be too caught up in the moment to express yourself with words, well, here they are. Yes they are others experiences, but you will find very many which match yours close enough to be called your own. Flight as many other "Romantic" adventures has it's way of engraving itself on your heart. These are exceptional expressions of a wide variety of flight forms, there's something here for everyone. A must for the enthusiasts bookshelves.

5-0 out of 5 stars Should be on every pilot's bookshelf
What a great collection! This is a wonderful read. I've heard many aviation poems before - but, this compilation has them all. Enjoy!

5-0 out of 5 stars Must Read for Aviator Families
At the end of a Naval Aviator-Commercial Pilot career, I wish I had this volume for my family (and myself) during all those years. It puts into lyrical words the thoughts and feelings of "being a bird" and why I am what I am. A good read and a bedside book. We owe Reda one at the bar.

5-0 out of 5 stars For the poet in all of us that love aviation
An excellent collection of aviation poetry that contains something for everyone.I recommend keeping the book bedside for some enjoyable light reading every night.The variety and notoriety of the authors is impressive. ... Read more


67. Stars of the Sky, Legends All: Illustrated Histories of Women Aviation Pioneers
by Ann Lewis Cooper
Paperback: 160 Pages (2008-03-15)
list price: US$24.95 -- used & new: US$10.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0760333742
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
With the full force of culture and convention ranged against them, women have nonetheless been taking to the air almost from the first. Stars of the Sky celebrates the wildly daring, the pioneering, and the implacably determined women who have made their mark in aviation. Fifty illustrated profiles recount the accomplishments of women who were the first to fly solo around the world, pilot a USAF Thunderbird, manage an airline, and design aircraft, as well as the singular contributions of others, from a flight surgeon and a daredevil sky-writer to an Eskimo Bush pilot, air traffic controller, and golden age Air Racer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars Stars of the Sky
Excellent book brain new received and a very very good condition and it was an express delivery well packaged.
Thank you
... Read more


68. A Moment In Time - The Biography of Matthew B. Sellers, II, Aviation Pioneer, 1869-1932
by Barbara L. Sellers
Paperback: 552 Pages (2009-12-01)
list price: US$49.95 -- used & new: US$32.44
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1935097962
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
Matthew B. Sellers, II was one of the first Americans to fly. His biography will set your own dreams in flight.


A Moment in Time is the biography of Matthew B. Sellers, II, one of our nation's first Aviation Pioneers. This book contains one of the most extensive collections of laboratory notes, pictures, correspondence and personal diaries of any aviation pioneer in the United States. See pictures of the kites, gliders and quadraplanes that Matthew built and see the retractable landing gear he invented in 1908 and patented in 1911. Some of Matthew's artifacts, including engines, propellers, air foils and a control arm can be seen in two of the Smithsonian's museums in Washington, D.C. Other artifacts can be seen at the Aviation Museum of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, the Olive Hill Historical Society and the Northeastern Museum of Kentucky in Olive Hill, Kentucky.

Barbara states ''There is mounting evidence that the Wright Brothers did not have the first powered flight in the United States.'' You will read why in a special chapter she has dedicated to other aviation pioneers. ''I feel that other aviators did actually fly before Orville and Wilbur. I have spent the last few years extensively researching this topic and my hope is that history books will change and the reader will learn about these other great flyers. They certainly are due recognition for their efforts.

Matthew was a fascinating grandfather that I never knew, as he died before I was born. I feel a special connection to him now after finishing this book. He was a genius. He was inventing things every day. He was the first to prove the theory of 'The Lift and Drift of Arched Surfaces' and holds the patent on this as well.

Matthew had the first powered flight in Kentucky on December 28, 1908. He was sought after by other aviators for his advice and was appointed to the first Naval Consulting Board in 1915 by President Woodrow Wilson and Thomas A. Edison. I think anyone who reads this book will be truly fascinated to read what my grandfather accomplished in his lifetime and how he contributed to and changed aviation history.'' ... Read more


69. The Wright Brothers: Aviation Pioneers and Their Work 1899-1911
by Charles Harvard Gibbs-Smith
Paperback: 48 Pages (2002-07)
list price: US$7.50 -- used & new: US$3.98
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1900747448
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
To mark the centenary of the Wright brothers' pioneering flights on 17 December 1903, the Science Museum will republish Gibbs-Smith's classic introduction to their remarkable careers and their unique place in aviation history. The Wrights were arguably the first to make powered, sustained and controlled flights, near Kitty Hawk, NC; the aeroplane, the first Flyer, was of their own design and construction and had been developed over a period of three years. It was loaned to the Science Museum, London, from 1928 to 1948, and is now displayed in the National Air and Space Museum (Smithsonian Institution) in Washington DC, a reproduction remaining in London. This edition of Gibbs-Smith's authoritative text, first published in 1987, is illustrated with a number of historic photographs and detailed diagrams. ... Read more


70. A View from the Hover: My Life in Aviation
by John Farley
 Hardcover: 432 Pages (2008-11)

Isbn: 0953275205
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

71. Where's the Runway?And Other Flying Stories: Adventures of a General Aviation Airplane and Hot Air Balloon Pilot
by Herb Tabak
Paperback: 192 Pages (2001-07-27)
list price: US$13.95 -- used & new: US$12.55
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0595194869
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
A small airplane and hot air balloon pilot's three decades of flying adventures. ... Read more


72. Black Aviator: The Story of William J. Powell (Smithsonian History of Aviation and Spaceflight Series)
by William J. Powell
 Paperback: 224 Pages (1994-08-17)
list price: US$17.95 -- used & new: US$16.95
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1560983418
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

73. The Montgolfier Brothers and the Invention of Aviation, 1783-1784: With a Word on the Importance of Ballooning for the Science of Heat and the Art of
by Charles Coulston Gillispie
 Hardcover: 232 Pages (1983-06)
list price: US$45.00 -- used & new: US$152.89
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0691083215
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

74. Capt Jepp and the Little Black Book: How Barnstormer and Aviation Pioneer Elrey B Jeppesen Made the Skies Safer for Everyone
by Flint Whitlock, Terry L. Barnhart
Hardcover: 288 Pages (2008-01-28)
list price: US$24.95 -- used & new: US$16.08
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 1934980420
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
Capt. Jepp and the Little Black Book is a fascinating look at the beginnings of aviation in America and the colorful daredevils who risked their lives to entertain crowds, deliver the mail, and carry passengers commercially. It is also the rags-to-riches story of Elrey B. Jeppesen--daredevel barnstormer and wing walker of the 1920s, intrepid airmail and airline pilot of the 1930s, creator of an aerial navigation system in use today worldwide, and founder of a business that grew from a ten-cent little black book into an international, multi-billion-dollar enterprise without equal. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

3-0 out of 5 stars NOT ACCURATE
While this book is reflective of the early days of flying, it is not accurate Regarding EBJ's life.I knew him.Further it degrades the founder of Jeppesen and Company, time and again.Why the Jeppesen Company has decided to market a book degrading the founder is sad.

5-0 out of 5 stars Great book!
This book arrived quickly and In better shape than listed. I bought it used and it looked brand new! I highly recommend this seller to anyone who is looking for quality books at reasonable prices!

5-0 out of 5 stars Far before it became the quickest way to get around, aviation was a renegade industry filled with thrill seekers.
Far before it became the quickest way to get around, aviation was a renegade industry filled with thrill seekers. "Capt. Jepp and the Little Black Book: How Barnstormer & Aviation Pioneer Elrey B. Jeppesen Made the Skies Safer for Everyone" is a look at the man who began to take steps to bring the industry away from the daredevil and deliver it to the mass consumer. The tale of a former aviation daredevil turned practical, "Capt. Jepp and the Little Black Book: How Barnstormer & Aviation Pioneer Elrey B. Jeppesen Made the Skies Safer for Everyone" is a riveting story for aviation fans and community library aviation collections alike.

5-0 out of 5 stars American History Original
Written by great friends of Capt. Jepp, this book reveals the inner truth behind his life and accomplishments and tells a story for the ages.In a "new world" of information and technology, his tale reminds us that innovation is rooted in a passion for life, the necessities of discovery, and the wonder of the possibilities we can find in our selves and others. Pilots worldwide navigate their way on the coat tails of Capt. Jepp, who gave to his time what the Internet gives to ours -- a pathway for commerce, exploration, and even fun.

Some notable reviews:

"Every pilot will enjoy this story of aviation pioneer, entrepreneur, and businessman Elrey Jeppesen, who literally made the skies safer for everyone." - Stephen Coonts

"Capt. Jepp may have been an unknown giant in aviation, but not longer. What a great story!" - Curtis Lee Brown, Space Shuttle Mission Commander

"And so, each time I climb into a cockpit, I must tip my cap to Captain Jepp and all the other intrepid flyers that went before me and give them silent thankds for a job well done.I trust you will do the same as you turn the pages of this magnificent journey through Captain Elrey B. Jeppensen's life story."
- From the Foreword by Erik Lindberg, grandson of Charles A. Lindberg
... Read more


75. Wilbur and Orville: A Biography of the Wright Brothers
by Fred Howard
Paperback: 560 Pages (1998-06-29)
list price: US$19.95
Isbn: 0486402975
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
Definitive, highly regarded study tells the full story of the brothers’ lives and work—before, during and after the historic flight at Kitty Hawk: early experiments and glider flights on Indiana sand dunes, exhilarating days on North Carolina’s Outer Banks where they perfected the first flyer, the bitter patent fight and legal battles that followed, Wilbur’s untimely death, and much more. Sure to thrill anyone fascinated by the early days of flight, this crisply written account—which also contains references to such legendary aviation pioneers as Octave Chanute, Glenn Curtiss, and Samuel Langley—captures the spirit of an extraordinary era.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

5-0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
Exceptionally well written.Impressive documentation and research.Not only are the Wright Bros' efforts covered in fascinating detail, but the era of early flight is explained in a comprehensive manner that is a pleasure to read.I suspect that this is the definitive biography of these two ordinary Americans who accomplished an extraordinary feat.

5-0 out of 5 stars A Soaring Historical Work
I have to say, first, that there is little I can add to the other 5-star reviewers of this gem. I will admit that the technical and legal details were a reach for me. However, Fred Howard clearly explains them in a way that even a layperson like me can get the main points:

* The Wright Brothers' "Eureka" moment was when Wilbur twisted some tubing and intuited the principle of windwarping.

* The legal battles from thenceforth, had mostly to do with whether or not the Wrights' rivals had already innovated something that could be dubbed "windwarping."

So - yes, this part I got.

Howard excels in weaving the invention of heavier-than-air flight, through the fabric of the rather remarkable Wright family. For it is in the Hawthorn Street home of the Wrights, that I, a non-techie that loves history, gains the most value from Howard's account.

A modern observer would be amused and appalled, and everything in between, to contemplate a family like this; where three grown children continue to live in the parental home, (the brothers, and their sister Catharine). What did their father, Bishop Milton Wright, see in his children, that he be not alarmed at their "failure to launch"? Surely even in turn-of-the-Century America, there were busybodies questioning the judgment of the Bishop, so accommodating to his no-count kids.

Had the Bishop, and his generation, had our Fifties-spawned conception of what it means to grow up in America, and kicked his kids out at the age of twenty-one, there would have been no Kitty Hawk, no Wright Company, and maybe even, no Delco (linked at the start to some of the Wrights' fortunes); No Wright-Patterson Air Force Base; no Bosnian-Serb summit at Dayton, etc.

But consider the Bishop, who in his writings to his sons and others, never shows even a hint of embarrassment at their hairbrained scheme to build a flying machine. Not one time, does he complain and tell them to go out and get real jobs. He does not pine and worry about why they are not married yet, who will take care of them when they're older, etc.

We have, in Howard's work, a story not only of how one of the most important inventions in American history came to be. We have, also, the tale of a family and a supporting father.

Behind the miracle at Kitty Hawk stands a man in the shadow of his sons. We have Milton Wright, whose steady, confident, quiet, and proud support of his sons may be the one true key to their success.

3-0 out of 5 stars The Wright Brothers Long Ordeal
This is a very detailed chronology of the Wright Brothers massive achievement to create a flying machine.It details each stage of development and incorporates the other individuals that were both helpful and damaging to the development and eventual recognition world wide of their accomplishments.It is a slow read but very satisfying since you appreciate the enormous difficulties they endured to achieve what we take for granted now - safe, frequent, air travel.

I read this at same time that I read the biography of Alex G Bell by Charlotte Gray which serves as a great contrast in life styles and creative follow through.While both the telephone and airplane define modern life, the achievement of the airplane is orders of magnitude more complex than the telephone.

4-0 out of 5 stars Riveting Story
The first 100 or so pages or so pages are an extraordinary account of the Wright brothers development of the first airplane and controled flight.It was interesting to learn why Kitty Hawk NC was selected as a test area; plenty of wind, no trees and sand to land on.Also that development of first plane could be done on the profit from summer earnings from a bicycle shop.Overall this is an excellent and detailed documentary of the Wright brothers achievment and also the impact of the business considerations which followed.

Ken Kraetzer
White Plains, NY

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Approach To A Many-Times-Told Tale
This is a fine account of the Wright Brothers' lives and achievements.It reads easily, and sets correct some of the myths that have grown around Wilbur and Orville (such as the vignette about building the little sled).

And I really liked the line in the Preface (...) stating that this particular biography wasn't going to delve into an extensive exploration of the Wright Brothers' ancestry, that some brief information about their family history was going to be presented in the first few paragraphs, and could easily be skipped by the reader.That's definitely my kind of biographer. ... Read more


76. Pioneers of Aviation: a Photo-Biography: Historical Data and Reproductions
by d hatfield
 Paperback: Pages (1976)

Asin: B002V8S1ZU
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

77. Pioneers of Aviation: a Photo-Biography
by D. D. Hatfield
 Hardcover: Pages (1976-01-01)

Asin: B002ZMX7UG
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

78. Mr. Mac: William P. MacCracken, Jr., a Biography. On Aviation, Law, Optometry
by Michael Osborn, Joseph Riggs
 Unknown Binding: 228 Pages (1970)

Asin: B0006CFDLS
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan

79. The Wright Brothers: The Remarkable Story of the Aviation Pioneers Who Changed the World
by Ian Mackersey
Paperback: 554 Pages (2004-11-01)
list price: US$18.00 -- used & new: US$2.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0751533688
Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description
The conquest of the air at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, was one of the supreme achievements of the 20th century. On that day, two unknown bicycle mechanics, Wilbur and Orville Wright, launched the first successful powered airplane. They changed the world forever. In The Wright Brothers, Ian Mackersey gives us an intriguing new biography of these eccentric figures, whose genius unlocked the secrets of mechanical flight to realize one of man's oldest dreams. In "a narrative of considerable dramatic power"(HISTORY TODAY), he portrays a family swept up in the resulting fame, jealousies, and legal entanglements that exploded around them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

5-0 out of 5 stars Great Book
This is a great book on the Wright Brothers.It is very detailed and well written.It takes you from their births to deaths and even discusses their father and siblings.If you want a comprehensive book on the birth of flight, this is it.It is a long book, 500+ pages but reads fast like a novel.The only negatives are, it needs more pictures and the writter is from New Zealand (which means he uses some funny words).This is a GREAT BOOK. ... Read more


80. Charles A. Lindbergh: Lone Eagle (Library of American Biography Series)
by Walter L. Hixson
Paperback: 192 Pages (2006-03-27)
list price: US$23.20 -- used & new: US$15.00
(price subject to change: see help)
Asin: 0321093232
Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France | Japan
Editorial Review

Product Description

In the 1920s America yearned for a hero. They had great baseball players and actors, but they longed for a seminal achievement — authentically heroic in its defiance of the odds. The Lone Eagle delivered, and the public treated him like a hero from a fairy tale, with rewards of wealth, fame, and a princess in marriage. But domestic tragedy followed. And so, in this wonderful concise biography, Walter Hixson has shown how "Lucky Lindy" exemplifies the triumphs and tragedies of America's coming of age.

 

The titles in the Library of American Biography Series make ideal supplements for American History Survey courses or other courses in American history where figures in history are explored. Paperback, brief, and inexpensive, each interpretative biography in this series focuses on a figure whose actions and ideas significantly influenced the course of American history and national life. At the same time, each biography relates the life of its subject to the broader themes and developments of the times.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

5-0 out of 5 stars Small, Easy to Read, Well Written
This is part of Longman's series of American Biography. They are short, with a reading level set for high school students in American History. It is a little surprising to me that the average high school student doesn't know Lindbergh. To those of us born before World War II, he was a famous person. But then again, his famous flight across the Atlantic was as far away to the modern high schooler as the Spanish-American war was to my generation.

Mr. Hixson does an excellent job of describing Lindbergh's early flying of the mail, the solo flight across the atlantic and his personal life. Of particular concern to today's student was Lindbergh's attitude towards World War II.

Lindbergh was a prominent member of the American First group that strenuously wanted to keep America out of the war. He was strongly condemned. I particularly liked Lindbergh's comment: 'I have always believed that every American cieizen had the right and duty to state his opinion in peace and to fight for his country in war.' Lindbergh was not in the military, but did serve as an aviation consultant in the South Pacific. He flew missions against the Japanese and developed new techniques to extend the range of American fighters, particularly the P-38.

2-0 out of 5 stars Useful Text
It is my understanding tha this series is marketed to the post adolescent teen market and widely sold to libraries.
For such purposes, and for the mildly curious, this length volume is adequate.

From the tone of the book description abovw, this may be in the nature of a hagiography. Best if it offends both right and left for the truth is most often in the middle.

The national acclaim for Lindbergh that swept the country in the twenties and later was on the order of the hysterical acclaim given the Beatles in later years. Having been mildly aware of the former, as an adult observoe of the latter, I certainly know more of the latter.

Growing up in the forties and being constantly reminded in my consciousness of the all surrounding atmosphere of World War Two, I was not aware of any other state of existence. The depression was not a memory for me at all for my family had managed to hang on in the lower middle class throughout the Great Depression which was never a dinner table subject even when Grandad came over on Sunday. The only result of the Great Depression on me is that I am ten years younger thsn I would have been if my parents had married soon after they first met. :)But the thirties were the days of dismissing of married female teachers, and mother had had to pay off her father's debts. Dad still had to live at home and scraped by on even less.

But though the depression was not in my childhood perceptions Lindbergh was. In that period of my life, I just knew he was famed for his flight. He was a national hero, the Boy Scouts published a book "The Lone Scout in the Sky: The Story of Charles A. Lindbergh" by James E.West, which remained in their catalog for many years. (West was the long time chief executive of the national BSA and was resonsible for shaping it through the forties.)

Lindbergh's writings and those of hisequally famous and publically beloved aviatrix wife, Ann Morrow, sold widely in the thirties. The tragedy of their baby's kidnapping and murder cemented the national affection for him. When I first became aware of him, his grest flight was the only subject I knew.

Later on, I learned of the kidnapping and by the late fifties I had become aware of the political controversies about his actions in the late thirties with the America First isolationist movement and his open admiration of the German Luftwaffe,
Because of these activities he was not favored by President Roosevelt, and thus, though he was a reserve colonel he was never mobilized after Pearl Harbor. Lindbergh did manage to get to the Pacific area as a civilian technical consultant and flew several combat missions against the Japanese. From then on he just faded away, I have no recollection of him or even when he died.

Thus Chsrles A. Lindbergh has joined the American pantheon of heroes who many aew aware of and consider to be worthy of praise but haven't a clue as to why. Not totally forgotten, he is now and then still commemorated. In the last twenty years or so there has been a Lindbergh drive next the Montgomery County Airpark near Gaithersburg, Md, but most would not know who he was.
So such works are useful if not definitive. ... Read more


  Back | 61-80 of 100 | Next 20
A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z  

Prices listed on this site are subject to change without notice.
Questions on ordering or shipping? click here for help.

site stats