Zeppelins: The Golden Age of Airships

by James Trautman

Every day there are tens of thousands of transoceanic flights. In the 1930s, the invention of planes able to traverse the Atlantic changed the world. However, there were already aircraft crossing vast oceans over a decade earlier. Lighter than air, these vehicles were called dirigibles, or, as the Germans named them, Graf Zeppelins. Illustrated with period photographs, vintage travel posters, blueprints, advertisements and colorful brochures, The Golden Age of Airships covers every aspect of these fascinating and oft overlooked airships, from their initial designs through to the height of their popularity during the Golden Age of Aviation. At the beginning of the 20th Century, dirigibles transported passengers, mail and other cargo from Europe to the Americas, forever changing the world's concept of time and space. The Golden Age of Airships is a thorough exploration of these awe-inspiring feats of aviation, Zeppelins is not simply the illustrated history of an aircraft; it is the story of a changing world. It is the story of the 20th Century, one of imagination, exploration, idealism and tragedy.

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 24, 2023

About the author

James Trautman is a regular contributor to North American magazines and newspapers, including Antique Week, and has been featured on CBC TV shows on the history of sports cards, games and other collectibles.

Reviews

[Paul Sutter]

The only zeppelins that some people might be aware, of would be rock group Led Zeppelin. There is a picture of the famous Zeppelin, the Hindenberg, that crashed and burned on May 6 1937, on the cover of their first album.
But if you want to know of non-musical Zeppelins, then ZEPPELIN THE GOLDEN AGE OF AIRSHIPS, is a must-read coffee table book. It has everything you need to know about these airships, and so much more.
They were first created by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. He founded the Zeppelin Company, responsible for producing some of the most advanced airships of that time. Zeppelins were at one time envisioned as the future of air travel. James Trautman traces the history of the airship, and it is quite the history.
The first Zeppelin airship the LZ-1 the author notes, was funded by a combination of private investment and small government support. Count von Zeppelin had problems with funding, with investors unsure the Zeppelin was feasible. But money did come finally, from the likes of the Grand Duke of Baden. A military use for the airship was also considered by investors.
The LZ-1 was 419 feet long and 38 feet in diameter, containing 400,000 cubic feet of hydrogen. Its maiden flight lasted only 20 minutes, but people did learn from their mistakes. Others came along to try their hand at this massive airship, such as Walter Wellman an American, who wanted to cross the Atlantic Ocean, with the first trip ever by air.
It was 228 feet long, departing from Atlantic City New Jersey on October 15 1910. It even had a stray cat on board. It was thought the flight would take six days to complete, but 38 hours into the flight, trouble was apparent. Engines had failed once, and winds affected the control of the airship. The hydrogen could not sustain it being airborne much longer. A distress signal was sent out, the first such call from an aircraft.
A British steamer was in the vicinity, saving the passengers. Once they got off the airship, it lifted back up and disappeared forever.
The stories are fascinating, and give a complete history of these airships, including their involvement in the First World War. There is a five page chart of the hundreds of Zeppelins used in that War and their missions, flight dates, and ultimate fate.
What also sets the book apart are the dozens of vintage photos of these airships, nostalgia brimming on every page. Many countries were trying to develop their own versions of these ships, trial and error and winning or losing the battle the net result. They were seen as weapons of war by many, including Germany who during World War Two, envisioned their airship capable of carrying bombs to New York. They realized the distance was too great, and it was likely they would be shot down before arriving there.
While perhaps a distant memory in the world of aviation, the efforts made by people who were part of the manufacture of them, is most admirable, and James Trautman captures every significant moment and possibility when people took to the skies in these massive airships. This book takes flight as well, soaring into the stratosphere of greatness!