Flight: A History of Aviation in Photographs Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a great idea--a large format (11 1/4" x11 1/4") book--packed with telling photos from the beginnings of powered flight to the present. Some of the shots are stunning--a Wright flyer in an early air race whipping around a pylon, just inches above the ground; WWII dogfights; a rocket-tailed F-104 climbing straight into the sky.
Alas, much of the accompanying text is sub-par; the writing wooden, the commentary (and especially, the photo captions) riddled with errors, both minor and not-so-minor. (Or if not flat-out wrong, it's clear the author doesn't always understand the history of the airplane in question or the context of the photo.) Worse--the reproduction quality of photos is often sub-par, in part, due to the publisher using cheaper paper, in part, because the publisher didn't secure clean negatives or prints. I've seen many of these photos reproduced in other books, and the images are sharp, clear, and in focus. Not so this volume, and that's too bad, because "Flight" was a great idea, marred by indifferent execution.


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An extraordinary visual history.Fortunately the Wright brothers' first flight was captured forever by photography. A spectacular visual record accompanies every step of aviation's astonishing advances, and memorable images record travel events, such as the Hindenburg disaster.Flight is a comprehensive history of air travel as told through four hundred dramatic photographs. The book covers aviation history from the first attempts at flight to the latest aircraft.Flight includes the early pioneers of gliders and even a steampowered model plane that predated the Wrights' success at piloting a sustained powered flight.The book covers the major eras of aviation:- Major aircraft of World War I- Barnstorming and adventure in the 1920s and 30s- Pre-World War II American aircraft and European dirigibles- Beginnings of passenger travel- Jet power and stealth during World War II and the Cold War- Modern military and passenger aircraft.A short essay introduces each section and detailed captions explain the significance and context of each photograph. Flight also includes blueprints for a glimpse into the engineering marvels of seven aircraft ranging from a Spitfire fighter to the supersonic Concorde airliner.Flight will appeal to aviation enthusiasts of all ages.

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