Twenty-First-Century Jet: The Making and Marketing of the Boeing 777

by Karl Sabbagh

Documents the production of the passenger aircraft, examining Boeing's team management strategy, the design creation done exclusively on computer, and the unique financing plan

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Aviation

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 13, 1995

About the author

​Karl Sabbagh, founder and managing director of Skyscraper Publications, has written nearly a dozen books, ranging across topics as diverse as architecture, psychology, history, mathematics, fraud, Victorian boys’ papers, and the Middle East.​​ Some of his books are derived from major television documentary series he produced and directed; others are pieces of original non-fiction for a general readership. ​

From 2010 to 2012, he was managing director of Hesperus Press, an independent British publisher of minor classics, fiction in translation, and some original non-fiction. While at Hesperus, he acquired the UK rights to The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, which has so far sold over 500,000 copies in the UK alone.
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Skyscraper's unique programme draws on Karl's extensive experience as both author and publisher.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a former manager/mentor. He said this was an excellent book about project management for large projects. I would tend to agree, I also read a fair bit of this book while riding in 777s, which is interesting as you can notice some the buffeting (probably greatly reduced) when the landing gear is lowered. This book is not a light quick read especially if you are looking for insights into how to be a good/better manager.
I think there are also negatives not highlighted by the book but symptom of the times where things were done.
I think this is a good book to read but not a how to for massive teams, and highlights old tools that were once novel and are today common place. The way of dealing with people and the different styles, that different people highlighted in the book applied.
As the manager pointed out would be nice to have something similar for satellite projects.
Now for something lighter.

[Kenneth Bassett II · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the content of this book. Management, science, engineering, problem solving, they were all great. I got frustrated at the time jumps in the book, or the long asides, where we flash from one incomplete topic to another.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the one book in my library that belongs to my husband, and I think you need to have the interest in airplanes that he does to really enjoy this book. That being said, I find this book more engaging than I expected, but its simply not a subject I have much interest in.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Techno-boffinism run wild. A four page description of the importance of carbon-fibre polymers in performance-to-weight ratios of rudder airelons nearly did this for me and had me craving for the simpler times of horse and cart. Hence the Eidson novel I broke in to. I could return to the story of the 777 though, I just needed a respite from the pet fascinations of project management engineers.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at the development of what must surely be one of the most complex machine that man has ever devised.