The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age

by Peter L. Jakab

With the hundredth anniversary of the Wright BrothersÂ’ history-making flight at Kitty Hawk, world attention is once again turning to these intrepid American inventors. Written by two of the worldÂ’s leading experts on the Wrights, The Wright Brothers and the Invention of the Aerial Age will provide a definitive, richly illustrated look at the lives of the brothers and their world-changing invention.Wilbur and Orville were two eccentric owners of a bicycle shop in the heartland. But it was invention, engineering, and the new possibilities of manned flight that obsessed them. In just three years, they went from designing and flying a glider and creating a test wind tunnel to WilburÂ’s history-making moments in December 1903 above the dunes at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. In moving prose, Crouch and Jakab explain the WrightsÂ’ achievements and the moments of their great successes, and they paint a masterful personal portrait of the two sometimes erratic, genius personalities (never married, the brothers lived together all their lives), and, most important, the world of pioneering aviation in which they operated.Poignant archival photographs throughout the book capture that world, where ox carts and airplanes co-existed and where two determined brothers from Dayton were celebrated by presidents and kings. But the most poignant of all the images remains that of an airplane, almost kite-like in its simplicity, struggling skyward from the dunes at Kitty Hawk.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Aviation, Biography

Unknown Binding

First published May 1, 2003

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening and somewhat sad story of these these timeless heroes and inventors. It was revealing to learn of their strong religious upbringing and the profound influence the two different worldviews their father and mother had one them. While the Wrights acquired their mother's creative intellectual capacities, they also remained stalwart in their father's religious convictions to remain resistive and secluded from all worldly influences. As they developed their amazing invention in a matter of only a few years, the Wrights had to battle with how to present it to the world. It's really here we see the climax of their story. The invention of the airplane was not so much their greatest challenge- they had the will and intellectual tools to do this, but it was in dealing with the world that their greatest struggle was fought.

[Howard Mansfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Crouch and Peter Jakab, two expert writers on the Wright Brothers, here reprise the Wright’s story very well, but seek out this book for its photos, and read Tom Couch’s The Bishop’s Boys, maybe the best biography of “the boys” (as their sister Katharine called them). Also read Peter Jakab’s Visions of a Flying Machine for the best explanation of how the Wrights actually invented the aeroplane. Jakab’s book is concise and brilliant.

[Jennifer Robb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot about the Wright Brothers and about their inventions. I found it interesting that their bike shop background helped them to devise the airplane. Quite interesting and a lot more detail than what I remember getting as a child when we talked about it.

[Claudio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ormai ho letto molto su questi due signori che hanno tranquillamente cambiato il mondo. Questo libro è specialmente notevole per le immagini. La biografia è un po’ affrettata rispetto ad altre opere.

[Pinkeerach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really neat book that outlines the story, at least at a high level, of how the Wright Brothers were truly first to invent & fly a mechanical airplane. Loved the photos and letters that are included.

[Cade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimately I enjoyed this book, but it is a biography of the Wright brothers, not of their airplane. I get the impression that the author thought that the human element of the Wrights' story was more appealing to the masses than the narrative of their technical problem solving. To be fair, the book does describe generally and qualitatively the basic advances of each generation of kite/glider/airplane, but if you want to know how they measured lift in their wind tunnel, you'll have to do like I did and read wright.nasa.gov in parallel with this book.

As a biography, I think this is a pretty good one for the length. It is not exhaustive or based on deep research of of obscure sources, but it illuminates the key chapters of the Wright brothers' lives that you likely would want to know about if you were considering reading this book. As the title perhaps alludes to, much of the story takes place after 1903 (first flight) and even after 1905 ("mature" airplane). This period of their lives was marked by endless disputes over recognition and commercial success of their invention. In hindsight, it may seem petty compared to their historic accomplishment of invention, but this biography is generally (and I think justifiably) defensive of the brothers and is inclined to provide justification for their actions.

If you want a short overview of the lives of the men who realized the dream of countless generations, this is a book you can enjoy. If you want to know more about the engineering of their Flyer, you'll have to supplement this book with additional sources.

[J. Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and well-done bio on the Brothers Wright and their pursuit of manned heavier-than-air flight. Loads of pictures, which I'm still going through!

Highly recommended for those interested in the earliest days of powered flight.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about two unusual men-- I listened to audio which was read by the author. I would have preferred a professional actor.