From acclaimed historian Lawrence Goldstone comes a thrilling
narrative of courage, determination, and competition: the story of the
intense rivalry that fueled the rise of American aviation.
The feud between this nation's great air pioneers, the Wright brothers
and Glenn Curtiss, was a collision of unyielding and profoundly American
personalities. On one side, a pair of tenacious siblings who together
had solved the centuries-old riddle of powered, heavier-than-air flight.
On the other, an audacious motorcycle racer whose innovative aircraft
became synonymous in the public mind with death-defying stunts. For more
than a decade, they battled each other in court, at air shows, and in
the newspapers. The outcome of this contest of wills would shape the
course of aviation history--and take a fearsome toll on the men
involved.
Birdmen sets the engrossing story of the Wrights' war with Curtiss
against the thrilling backdrop of the early years of manned flight, and
is rich with period detail and larger-than-life personalities: Thomas
Scott Baldwin, or "Cap't Tom" as he styled himself, who invented the
parachute and almost convinced the world that balloons were the future
of aviation; John Moisant, the dapper daredevil who took to the skies
after three failed attempts to overthrow the government of El Salvador,
then quickly emerged as a celebrity flyer; and Harriet Quimby, the
statuesque silent-film beauty who became the first woman to fly across
the English Channel. And then there is Lincoln Beachey, perhaps the
greatest aviator who ever lived, who dazzled crowds with an array of
trademark twists and dives--and best embodied the romance with death
that fueled so many of aviation's earliest heroes.
A dramatic story of unimaginable bravery in the air and brutal
competition on the ground, Birdmen is at once a thrill ride through
flight's wild early years and a surprising look at the personal clash
that fueled America's race to the skies.
Praise for Birdmen
"A meticulously researched account of the first few hectic, tangled
years of aviation and the curious characters who pursued it . . . a
worthy companion to Richard Holmes's marvelous history of ballooning,
Falling Upwards."--Time
"The daredevil scientists and engineers who forged the field of
aeronautics spring vividly to life in Lawrence Goldstone's
history."--Nature
"The history of the development of an integral part of the modern world
and a fascinating portrayal of how a group of men and women achieved a
dream that had captivated humanity for centuries."--The Christian
Science Monitor
"Captivating and wonderfully presented . . . a fine book about these
rival pioneers."--The Wall Street Journal
"[A] vivid story of invention, vendettas, derring-do, media hype and
patent fights [with] modern resonance."--Financial Times
"A powerful story that contrasts soaring hopes with the anchors of ego
and courtroom."--Kirkus Reviews
"A riveting narrative about the pioneering era of aeronautics in America
and beyond . . . Goldstone raises questions of enduring importance
regarding innovation and the indefinite exertion of control over ideas
that go public."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)