Air and Space: The National Air and Space Museum Story of Flight - Hardcover

Andrew Chaikin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 156852689X ISBN 13: 9781568526898

Publisher: Konecky and Konecky, 2008

Synopsis

A spectacular illustrated chronicle that brings to life the entire range of aviation and flight from the first hot air balloons and the Wright Brothers to the exploration of the solar system. Prepared by the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, this volume includes over 400 photos and illustrations.

About this title

About the Author:

Science journalist Andrew Chaikin is the author of the acclaimed Man on the Moon, the definitive history of the Apollo Space Program.

From Booklist:

Pitched to visitors, actual or potential, to the Smithsonian's aeronautics museum in D.C., this album connects the artifacts on display with a brief history of air and space flight. Chaikin, whose A Man on the Moon (1994) is a consuming account of the Apollo program, doesn't have quite as much writing room in this predominantly visual celebration, but his captions and narrative are laconically informative, playing up odd facts about the planes. He recounts the Wright brothers' success (to which the Smithsonian can lay minor claim, having given Wilbur some pamphlets on flying--following his assurance he wasn't a "crank"), the flamboyant deadliness of World War I dogfighters, the barnstorming and racing days of the 1920s and 1930s, and the infancy of commercial aviation, the famous DC-3 being its midwife. A few photos, as of the DC-3, show the vehicle in its exhibit hall, but most pictures depict planes or rockets in action, right up through the latest images of the space age--Mars as viewed from Pathfinder. An enthusiast's delight. Gilbert Taylor

About this edition

• Publisher: Konecky and Konecky
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 156852689X
• ISBN 13: 9781568526898
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336