Wings of Madness; Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight
by Hoffman, Paul
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very good
- ISBN 10
- 0786866594
- ISBN 13
- 9780786866595
- Seller
-
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Theia, 2003. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. [12], 369, [3] pages. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Paul Hoffman (born 1956) is a prominent author and host of the PBS television series Great Minds of Science. He was president and editor in chief of Discover, in a ten-year tenure with that magazine, and served as president and publisher of Encyclopaedia Britannica before returning full-time to writing and consulting work. Hoffman, who holds a B.A. degree summa cum laude from Harvard, is the winner of the first National Magazine Award for Feature Writing and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Chicago magazine once called him "the smartest man in the world." Alberto Santos-Dumont (20 July 1873 - 23 July 1932, usually referred to as simply Santos-Dumont) was a Brazilian inventor and aviation pioneer, one of the very few people to have contributed significantly to the development of both lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air aircraft. On the eve of the centennial of the Wright brothers' historic flights at Kitty Hawk, a new generation will learn about the other man who was once hailed worldwide as the conqueror of the air--Alberto Santos-Dumont. Because the Wright brothers worked in secrecy, word of their first flights had not reached Europe when Santos-Dumont took to the skies in 1906. The dashing, impeccably dressed inventor entertained Paris with his airborne antics--barhopping in a little dirigible that he tied to lampposts, circling above crowds around the Eiffel Tower, and crashing into rooftops. A man celebrated, even pursued by the press in Paris, London, and New York, Santos-Dumont dined regularly with the Cartiers, the Rothschilds, and the Roosevelts. But beneath his lively public exterior, Santos-Dumont was a frenzied genius tortured by the weight of his own creation. Wings of Madness chronicles the science and history of early aviation and offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of an extraordinary and tormented man.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Ground Zero Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 75945
- Title
- Wings of Madness; Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight
- Author
- Hoffman, Paul
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]
- ISBN 10
- 0786866594
- ISBN 13
- 9780786866595
- Publisher
- Theia
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2003
- Keywords
- Santos-Dumont, Aviation, Aerostation, Airplanes, Balloons, Flying Machines, Samuel Langley, Paris Aero Club, Aeronautics, Theodore Roosevelt, Powered Flight, Lighter-than-air, Heavier-than-air, Vaugirard, Miltary Aircraft, Aerial Operations, Military
Terms of Sale
Ground Zero Books
Books are offered subject to prior sale. Satisfaction guaranteed. If you notify us within 7 days that you are not satisfied with your purchase, we will refund your purchase price when you return the item in the condition in which it was sold.
About the Seller
Ground Zero Books
Biblio member since 2005
Silver Spring, Maryland
About Ground Zero Books
Founded and operated by trained historians, Ground Zero Books, Ltd., has for over 30 years served scholars, collectors, universities, and all who are interested in military and political history.
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Much of our diverse stock is not yet listed on line. If you can't locate the book or other item that you want, please contact us. We may well have it in stock. We welcome your want lists, and encourage you to send them to us.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...