Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age
This is the latest book marking the hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers' epic flight at Kitty Hawk. Crouch and Jakab, curators at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, trace the brothers' lives from their early years in Dayton, Ohio, and the events leading up to the invention of the airplane. The authors describe how the two men spent five years of work on a flying machine before the first flight; their relationship to Octave Chanute, "the grand old man of aeronautics"; their problems in obtaining an engine that met their weight limitation; and the flight itself. "At every critical juncture in the Wrights' journey to practical flight, these innate skills and approaches to invention are readily apparent," the authors write. "As we follow the brothers' remaining steps toward final success, it will become clear that Wilbur and Orville were far more than fine mechanics who managed to coax a flying machine into the air." With 100 archival photographs, this work offers the most comprehensive portrait of these ingenious brothers yet written.George CohenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved