Intense, brilliant and determined, Wilbur and his brother Orville seized the challenge to become the first to fly, despite facing keen competition from far more prominent men who were equally driven to make history. First came Samuel Langley, head of the Smithsonian Institution, the odds-on favourite to fly first. Under intense public scrutiny, his ponderous aerodrome dropped into the icy Potomac River like a handful of mortar just nine days before the Wrights' unheralded first flight at Kitty Hawk. Yet the Wrights were so ...
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Intense, brilliant and determined, Wilbur and his brother Orville seized the challenge to become the first to fly, despite facing keen competition from far more prominent men who were equally driven to make history. First came Samuel Langley, head of the Smithsonian Institution, the odds-on favourite to fly first. Under intense public scrutiny, his ponderous aerodrome dropped into the icy Potomac River like a handful of mortar just nine days before the Wrights' unheralded first flight at Kitty Hawk. Yet the Wrights were so obscure they were all but ignored. So for six years they fought for recognition - flying a full circle before the disbelieving French, competing against Alexander Graham Bell, and finally against the motorcyclist Glenn Curtiss, fastest man in the world. In the final showdown with Curtiss in 1909, Wilbur Wright circled Manhattan above a million ecstatic spectators. The brothers' place in history was assured. Using his research in the rich archives of aviation, James Tobin pulls readers back to a time when flight seemed simultaneously crazy and tantalizing, drawing them along the Wrights' twisting path of trial, error and breakthrough. No one, Orville later remarked to Charles Lindbergh, quite understands the spirit of those times.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Near Fine jacket. Book 431 pages, b/w photos in text, acknowledgments, notes, notes on sources, index, gray boards. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!