Taking Flight: Inventing the Aerial Age from Antiquity Through the First World War

The invention of flight represents the culmination of centuries of thought & desire. Kites & rockets sparked our imagination. Then the balloon gave us our first experience aloft, followed by the steerable airship. The airplane launched the Aerial Age, & its impact over the past century has been extraordinary. Here is a new examination of aviation history, stressing its global roots. Places each technological advance in the context of its own period as well as that of the evolving era of air travel. Makes extensive use of the memoirs of the pioneers themselves. Leads readers to the labâ¿¿s. & airfields where aircraft were conceived & tested. â¿¿A singular accomplishment in the study of the history of aviation, & technology in general.â¿¿ Rare photos & drawings.