Bibliograph

The men who gave us wings, Britain and the aeroplane, 1796-1914, Peter Reese

Type

Label

The men who gave us wings, Britain and the aeroplane, 1796-1914, Peter Reese

Language

eng

Index

no index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

The men who gave us wings

Medium

electronic resource

Nature of contents

dictionaries

Responsibility statement

Peter Reese

Sub title

Britain and the aeroplane, 1796-1914

Summary

Why did the British, then the leading nation in science and technology, fall far behind in the race to develop the aeroplane before the First World War? Despite their initial advantage, they were overtaken by the Wright brothers in America, by the French and the Germans. Peter Reese, in this highly readable and highly illustrated account, delves into the fascinating early history of aviation as he describes what happened and why. He recalls the brilliant theoretical work of Sir George Cayley, the inventions of other pioneers of the nineteenth century and the daring exploits of the next generation of airmen, among them Samuel Cody, A.V. Roe, Bertram Dickson, Charles Rolls and Tommy Sopwith. His narrative is illustrated with a wonderful selection of over 120 archive drawings and photographs which record the men and the primitive flying machines of a century ago. As featured on BBC Radio Surrey and in Essence Magazine

Target audience

adult

Classification