The Greatest Flying Stories Ever Told: 27 Amazing Tales from the Skyway (Greatest Stories Ever Told) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 158574512X ISBN 13: 9781585745128

Publisher: The Lyons Press, 2002

Synopsis

At 10:35 in the morning of Thursday, December 17, 1903, man got his wings. On the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the motorized aircraft he and his brother Wilbur had constructed to a distance less than the length of the wingspan of today's 747 jet. Three other flights were made the same day, the final lasting 59 seconds for a distance over the ground of 852 feet. Mankind was finally off the ground in powered flight. Not a balloon . . . not a glider . . . in an airplane with wings and a motor. And his experiences in the air would forevermore join the literature of human endeavors, to be shared by kindred spirits or the curious who have wanted to know, What was it like up there? In The Greatest Flying Stories ever Told, Lamar Underwood collects the very best writings, both fact and realistic fiction, on man's fascination with flight, culled from the various magazines, books, plays, and films that serve to lay bare the drama of human beings coping with the skills and devices that enable them to direct their machines through the vastness of the skies. With contributions from: Orville and Wilbur Wright -- Ernest K. Gann -- Charles Lindbergh -- Nevil Shute -- Michael Collins -- Richard Bach -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -- Chuck Yeager -- Tom Wolfe -- General Curtis LeMay -- A. Scott Crossfield -- Rinker Buck -- Diane Ackerman -- Stephen Coonts -- Pat Conroy -- Derek Robinson -- And more...

About this title

Review

"Another in Lyons Press's first-rate greatest stories series."--The Tampa Tribune

From the Back Cover

A diverse, inspiring and exciting collection on the thrills of taking flight.At 10:35 in the morning of Thursday, December 17, 1903, man got his wings. On the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the motorized aircraft he and his brother Wilbur had constructed to a distance less than the length of the wingspan of today's 747 jet. They made three other flights the same day, the final lasting 59 seconds for a distance over the ground of 852 feet. The world would never be the same after that day. Mankind was finally off the ground in powered flight. Not a balloon . . . not in a glider . . . but in an airplane with wings and a motor. And man's experiences in the air would forevermore join the literature of human endeavors, to be shared by kindred spirits as well as the curious sorts who have wanted to know, "What was it like up there?"In The Greatest Flying Stories Ever Told, editor Lamar Underwood has collected some of the finest writings, both fact and realistic fiction, that best captures man's fascination with flight, meticulously culled from the various magazines, books, plays, and films that serve to lay bare the drama of human beings coping with the skills needed to direct their machines through the vastness of the skies. With contributions from: Charles Lindbergh, Ernest K. Gann, General Chuck Yeager & Leo Janos, Tom Wolfe, Mary Lovell, Richard Bach, Rinker Buck, Diane Ackerman, Derek Robinson, and more...(6 x 9 1/4, 352 pages)Lamar Underwood is a former editor-in-chief of Sports Afield and Outdoor Life, and the author of the novel On Dangerous Ground. He is also the editor of the Greatest War Stories Ever Told, The Greatest Survival Stories Ever Told and several other books. Presently, he serves as the Editorial Director of the Outdoor Magazine Group of Harris Publications in New York.

About this edition

• Publisher: The Lyons Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 158574512X
• ISBN 13: 9781585745128
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Underwood Lamar