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Summary
Summary
The dream of flight is one of the oldest in human history. We read about it in ancient Greek mythology and visualize it through Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of flying machines.
The Book of Flight traces the remarkable story of the pioneers, inventors, and daring pilots who turned that dream into a reality. Based on the outstanding collections of the National Air and Space Museum, this handsome book brings to life milestones in flight history: the development of ballooning; the earliest human gliders; the Wright Brothers' first sustained flights; Charles Lindbergh's solo trip across the Atlantic; Amelia Earhart's courageous flights; Chuck Yeager's blast through the sound barrier; the Apollo astronauts' first steps onto the moon; and the building of the International Space Station.
Richly illustrated, this book takes you on an exciting journey through time. You'll watch early inventors at work, thrill to the first air races and the dogfights of World War I and II, peer inside a flying boat of the 1930s, and witness the horrific explosion of the airship Hindenburg . You'll ride in the DC-3, marvel at the technology of the stealth fighter, and experience life aboard the Space Shuttle. As you turn the pages you'll meet barnstormers and ballonists, stunt flyers and flying aces, and rocket scientists and astronauts.
More than 350 photographs and illustrations portray the development of aviation and space flight. Diagrams explain concepts such as jet propulsion and supersonic flight and depict the workings of rockets and other devices. A comprehensive glossary provides easy-to-understand explanations of technical terms.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, with more than eight million visitors annually, is home to the world's most famous collection of historical aircraft, rockets, and space vehicles.
Author Notes
Judith E. Rinard is a freelance writer who worked for more than 20 years as staff writer for National Geographic . She has written extensively - both books and articles - on subjects as diverse as astronauts, whales and dolphins, and ancient cities.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-These large-sized, profusely illustrated surveys cover the same territory, but with very different emphases. Both are organized as sequences of topical spreads, on each of which large pictures of aircraft or spacecraft and smaller scenes or schematics mingle with detailed explanatory captions. Flight, aimed at somewhat less proficient readers, takes an overall subject approach, devoting one section to military uses of flight, four to civil or research aviation, then closing with a gallery of pioneer machines. Its art, which is mostly painted or computer generated, has a clean, uncluttered look. In contrast, The Book of Flight is a photo-documentary, with a chronological structure, more images per page on average, and relatively more space allotted to fighting machines and those designed to travel into space. It focuses largely on the United States's contributions to aviation and astronautics. Flight has but half the page count, but takes a more international view and contains information-on hang gliding, for instance, and NASA's recent cancellation of the X-33 space-plane project-which is missing from the Smithsonian title. The differences between the two books are enough to make them complementary, rather than rival, additions to library collections; consider Flight as a systematic, visually appealing update for older picture albums, and even though there is little new material in The Book of Flight, the dramatic, sharply detailed illustrations make it a viable alternative to Century of Flight (Time-Life, 1999).-John Peters, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Aviation enthusiasts will also welcome The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Book of Flight by Judith Rinard. Packed with over 400 photographs and illustrations, this informative offering looks at humankind's earliest airborne efforts, including a sidebar about Leonardo da Vinci's famous sketches of "ornithopters," or "flapping-wing machines," and the Wright Brothers' 1903 flight at Kitty Hawk. Later sections focus on postwar barnstormers, Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. ( Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
This browsable treatment of the history of flight provides insight into myriad topics from the pioneering work of the Wright brothers and Amelia Earhart to the building of the International Space Station. Abundant photographs and drawings are used to enhance the informative and well-written text. The book also contains a chronology of flight from pre-1900 to the present. Glos., ind. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-8. Large, colorful photographs and a fast-moving text are sure to make this title, based on the collection at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum, a crowd pleaser. The book covers the history of flight from the Montgolfier brothers' balloon to the potential manned flight to Mars. As one would expect, the Wright brothers, Lindbergh, the Battle of Britain, the breaking of the sound barrier, and the Mercury and Gemini programs are mentioned, along with less-dramatic events, such as the beginning of air transport and the incredibly spacious seating that was apparently offered. Each event is highlighted on a double-page spread, with a well-written, succinct text on the left and nicely placed color and black-and-white photos on the right. The histories of military and civilian aircraft are given equal billing, and each step of the American space program is discussed. A time line and a glossary are appended. --Todd Morning
Table of Contents
Introduction |
The Beginning of Flight |
Powered Flight: First Attempts |
The Wright Brothers |
The Wright Brothers in France |
Aviation Takes Off |
World War I: Fighters |
Flying a Fighter |
World War I: Bombers |
Barnstorming |
Racing for the Skies |
Douglas World Cruisers |
Going the Distance |
Charles Lindbergh |
Amelia Earhart |
Airmail to Airlines |
Air Transport |
Airships |
Flying Boats |
World War II: Fighters |
World War II: Battle of Britain |
World War II: Bombers |
World War II: War at Sea |
Enola Gay |
The Sound Barrier |
Korea and Vietman |
Modern Military Aircraft |
Modern Fighters |
Spy in the Sky |
Jet Transport |
Helicopters |
Working Planes |
Modern Record Breakers |
Rockets and the Space Age |
To the Edge of Space |
Mercury and Gemini |
Comparative Rockets |
Apollo to the Moon |
One Small Step |
Exploring the Moon |
A Different World |
Homeward Bound |
Skylab |
Apollo-Soyuz |
Space Suits |
The Space Shuttle |
Keeping Safe |
The Glass Cockpit |
Shuttle Orbiter |
Space Telescope |
Meeting Mir |
Living in Space |
Gliding Home |
Space Station |
Building the ISS |
New Horizons |
Mission to Mars |
Milestones of Flight |
Glossary |
Index |