Flying: The Memoirs of a Spanish Aeronaut Emilio Herrera

Herrera, Emilio; Glick, Thomas F. - Editor; Ladd, Elizabeth - Translator

ISBN 10: 0826307531 / ISBN 13: 9780826307538

Published by University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A., 1984

About this Item

231 Pages Indexed. Tight sqaure book. Emilio Herrera (1879-1967) recounts early days of aviation and experiments with hydrogen balloons and dirigibles. He arouses humor one moment and amazement the next in the depictions of courageous, if not foolhardy, young aviators. Underlying the adventure of daring races and the romantic gestures, such as his planned honeymoon trip in a balloon from Barcelona to Paris, is a detailed recollection of the scientific debates of aviation's early history. Herrera applied his training as an engineer to anything airborne: balloons, biplanes and other early aircraft, dirigibles, helicopters, the atomic and hydrogen bombs, and satellites. His professional career placed him in the mainstream of scientific investigation of the principles of flight, and he consulted with such major figures as Albert Einstein and Sir Arthur Eddington. Yet it is Herrera the adventurer, the fearless and brilliant scientist with an unfailing sense of humor, that comes through as narrator in the memoirs. His engaging candor and personal warmth are undiminished in his moments of triumph --- international fame as a balloonist and promoter of zeppelin travel --- and give balance and perspective to his life during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War and his exile in Paris and life there under German occupation during World War II. Readers interested in ballooning and flying will be captivated by the personality and adventures of Herrera. The accompanying essay by Thomas Glick locates the events depicted in their historical and scientific context. Elizabeth Ladd's translation preserves Herrera's understated ironic wit. Glick is a professor of history and chair of the department at Boston University and the author of five books and numerous articles on Spanish history and the history of science. Elizabeth Ladd has translated several books for university presses. Contents: Part One - The Memoirs of Emilio Herrera, Instructions to Officers In Charge of Free Balloon Ascents, and Notes to Memoirs. Part Two - Emilio Herrera and Spanish Technology, Notes, and Publications of Emilio Herrera. Illustrated with a center section of black and white photographs. Frontispiece is a self-portrait drawn in the autographs book of a family friend while lecturing on aerodynamics in Santander and anticipating his planned balloon exploration to 20,000 meters, July 1936. Later in the month the Civil War broke out and the balloon was cut up for rain gear.

Seller Inventory # 10757

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Flying: The Memoirs of a Spanish Aeronaut Emilio Herrera
• Publisher: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.
• Publication Date: 1984
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0826307531
• ISBN 13: 9780826307538
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Edition: First Edition Assumed
• Condition: Very Good