R.G. Grant is a history writer who has published more than 20 books, many of them dealing with aspects of military conflict. He has written on the American Revolution, World War I, and World War II, and is the author of DK's Battle, Warrior, and Flight: 100 Years of Aviation.
Produced in association with the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, this volume of capsule histories and archival images traces the history of flight with all the sepia-toned authority of a public broadcasting documentary. Offering thumbnail profiles of aviation heroes and inventors and a plethora of diagrams and photos, the oversized tome straddles the line between something to put on a coffee table and something to give to a panting, preteen armchair pilot. Sections on space travel, commercial flight and early daredevilry fascinate, but take second stage to the story of flight as it interweaves with a century-long history of war-conflict being the catalyst for much of aviation's greatest innovations and adventures. Most of the book's pages recount bombing raids and dogfights through the decades, but others showcase popular, pioneering or just plain weird designs (the part-plane, part-car Aerocar, the miniscule Sky Louse, the capsule-shaped Gee Bee Super Sportster and the Caproni Ca 60 Transaero, an eight-engine triplane). This hefty volume is a flight museum sandwiched between two covers: careful, informative and educational-and a bit overwhelming. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
This sweeping compendium of milestones in 20th-century aviation history is published in association with the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, which may account for its rigorous attention to detail. Grant (The Berlin Wall) offers a wealth of supportive information to complement his engagingly written text. Succinct offset biographies sketch the lives and contributions of aviation's pioneers (both men and women), scientists, promoters, businessmen, barnstormers, racers, designers and manufacturers, aces (from World War I to Vietnam), and astronauts and cosmonauts. Fascinating sidebars also treat early flight, assorted inventions, famous air races (1910-39), the gradual transformation of the role of the fighter pilot, the evolution of aerial weaponry, training programs, navigational technology, aerial exploration, landmark altitude and long-distance flights, Zeppelin travel, power plants, Hitler's jet and rocket programs, the breaking of the sound barrier, the Cold War space race, and America's current shuttle program. The impressive illustrations include over 300 gorgeous, full-color profiles of the world's major military and civilian aircraft and space vehicles. The result is a work of greater overall scope and depth than Bill Gunston's Aviation: The First 100 Years. Highly recommended for all military, aviation, and transportation collections and public libraries.-John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Cleveland Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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