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Higher, Steeper, Faster: The Daredevils Who Conquered the Skies
Discover the daring aviation pioneers who made the dream of powered flight a reality, forever changing the course of history.
Aviator Lincoln Beachey broke countless records: he looped-the-loop, flew upside down and in corkscrews, and was the first to pull his aircraft out of what was a typically fatal tailspin. As Beachey and other aviators took to the skies in death-defying acts in the early twentieth century, these innovative daredevils not only wowed crowds, but also redefined the frontiers of powered flight.
Higher, Steeper, Faster takes readers inside the world of the brave men and women who popularized flying through their deadly stunts and paved the way for modern aviation.
Aviator Lincoln Beachey broke countless records: he looped-the-loop, flew upside down and in corkscrews, and was the first to pull his aircraft out of what was a typically fatal tailspin. As Beachey and other aviators took to the skies in death-defying acts in the early twentieth century, these innovative daredevils not only wowed crowds, but also redefined the frontiers of powered flight.
Higher, Steeper, Faster takes readers inside the world of the brave men and women who popularized flying through their deadly stunts and paved the way for modern aviation.
Audiobook
First published March 28, 2017
7 people are currently reading
97 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Goldstone
45 books199 followersLawrence Goldstone is the author of fourteen books of both fiction and non-fiction. Six of those books were co-authored with his wife, Nancy, but they now write separately to save what is left of their dishes.
Goldstone's articles, reviews, and opinion pieces have appeared in, among other publications, the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Hartford Courant, and Berkshire Eagle. He has also written for a number of magazines that have gone bust, although he denies any cause and effect.
His first novel, Rights, won a New American Writing Award but he now cringes at its awkward prose. (Anatomy of Deception and The Astronomer are much better.)
Despite a seemingly incurable tendency to say what's on his mind (thus mortifying Nancy), Goldstone has been widely interviewed on both radio and television, with appearances on, among others, "Fresh Air" (NPR), "To the Best of Our Knowledge" (NPR), "The Faith Middleton Show" (NPR), "Tavis Smiley" (PBS), and Leonard Lopate (WNYC). His work has also been profiled in The New York Times, The Toronto Star, numerous regional newspapers, Salon, and Slate.
Goldstone holds a PhD in American Constitutional Studies from the New School. His friends thus call him DrG, although he can barely touch the rim. (Sigh. Can't make a layup anymore either.) He and his beloved bride founded and ran an innovative series of parent-child book groups, which they documented in Deconstructing Penguins. He has also been a teacher, lecturer, senior member of a Wall Street trading firm, taxi driver, actor, quiz show contestant, and policy analyst at the Hudson Institute.
He is a unerring stock picker. Everything he buys instantly goes down.
Goldstone's articles, reviews, and opinion pieces have appeared in, among other publications, the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Hartford Courant, and Berkshire Eagle. He has also written for a number of magazines that have gone bust, although he denies any cause and effect.
His first novel, Rights, won a New American Writing Award but he now cringes at its awkward prose. (Anatomy of Deception and The Astronomer are much better.)
Despite a seemingly incurable tendency to say what's on his mind (thus mortifying Nancy), Goldstone has been widely interviewed on both radio and television, with appearances on, among others, "Fresh Air" (NPR), "To the Best of Our Knowledge" (NPR), "The Faith Middleton Show" (NPR), "Tavis Smiley" (PBS), and Leonard Lopate (WNYC). His work has also been profiled in The New York Times, The Toronto Star, numerous regional newspapers, Salon, and Slate.
Goldstone holds a PhD in American Constitutional Studies from the New School. His friends thus call him DrG, although he can barely touch the rim. (Sigh. Can't make a layup anymore either.) He and his beloved bride founded and ran an innovative series of parent-child book groups, which they documented in Deconstructing Penguins. He has also been a teacher, lecturer, senior member of a Wall Street trading firm, taxi driver, actor, quiz show contestant, and policy analyst at the Hudson Institute.
He is a unerring stock picker. Everything he buys instantly goes down.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 3, 2019
I wanted to love this book. The content is interesting and the characters fascinating. However, the formatting and writing left my teeth on edge. If this audiobook had been more than 4 hours long I would not have finished.
May 8, 2020
If your middle school student wants to know the history of flight, this may be the book. Higher, Steeper, Faster: The Daredevils Who Conquered the Skies by Lawrence Goldstone provides a detailed history of flight. The timeline is outstanding and easy to follow. The book itself feels dry. Also, I question the lack of diversity found in the book. There were only a couple paragraphs about the history of African Americans and women in flight. Where was the diversity?
grade: C, lack of diversity, read like non-fiction, a bit dry
audience: middle school, junior high, high school
Quotes/Author:
"Wilbur Wright was a genius, one of the greatest instinctive scientists America has ever produced." page 41
"By 1915, not one single feature of the original Wright Flyer remained in use." page 212
Possible Cautions:
Multiple deaths from flying accidents
Detailed Notes:
/////// SPOILERS /////// SPOILERS /////// SPOILERS ///////
for all history, man has wanted to fly like birds
June 4, 1783, hot air balloons
1891 glider wings worked
"birdman" Otto L _____________
broke spine and died, "sacrifices must be made"
Wright brothers then continue his work
Tom Baldwin, improve parachute, didn't get patent so he lost a lot of money, got $1,000 per each public parachute jump at $1,000 feet
1888 Minneapolis parachute from 5,000 feet
1876 internal combustion engine
1884 first automobile
1901 Santos-Dumont navigate motorized balloon around Eiffel Tower and back to start, won the equivalent of $500,000
Oct 31, 1904, Knabenshue, pilot, and Baldwin Airship with wind and against wind for 37 minutes
where's the diversity in this book??? other countries/cultures did nothing for flight?
Santos-Dumont balloon had been knifed
Lincoln Beachey, bicycle racer, but too young to win against men
1903 Wright Brothers
motorcycles
"boy astronaut"
Aug 23, 1906, engine not powerful enough to life, tinkering then got wheels in air for significant hops
Nov, airborne greater than 700 feet
celebrated as first to fly airplane
Santos-Dumont
"Wilbur Wright was a genius, one of the greatest instinctive scientists America has ever produced." page 41
wind necessary
one wing tip up and one down when turn
control is crucial element of flight
explains about side to side laterally, yaw, roll, front to back is pitch
others tried to stop roll, but wilbur worked with it
Dec 17, 1903, Orville four successful flights
apply for patent
kept their plane secret until patent, they wanted to sell them , practice at Kitty Hawk
Autumn 1905, could fly for miles 100's of feet off ground
tried to sell airplanes without anyone seeing them but no luck, finally showed reporter with Scientific American, didn't fly in France or for US Army until 1908
Aug 8, 1908, Wilbur, first public flight
Sept 16, fly 40 minutes, Wilbur, 29 miles at 46 mph
meanwhile Orville is flying for the army
Sept 9, 57 minutes, 40 miles then 62 minutes at 50 mph
first fatality, Orville had pain from that crash for the rest of his life
Louis Bleriot crossed English Channel
race for flight went back and forth between France and the USA
Reims, 40,000 spectators, race fastest 20 km
100,000s of people watched Curtiss from main race
LA,CA for US Air Show, 250,000 people attended
Wright Brothers then decide to be more public
some of the extra notes/info are irrelevant to flight, random distracting
could work as pilot for Wright Brothers (less money, more restrictive) or Curtiss (50/50 money, less restrictive)
the higher the danger, then greater the audience
"stardust twins" Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone
Moissant, first metal, aluminum plane, two planes crashed so then only flying
1910 altitude of nearly 10,000, John Moisant won Statue of Liberty race, Moisant's brother start flying school, 2 students are women
Matilde Moisant and Harriet Quimby
Nov 14, 1910 Ely, take off from ship, Ralph Johnstone killed same week, Moisant died in test flight, Hoxsey died in altitude flight, Ely land on ship
June 27, 1911, Beachy fly over Niagara Falls, 150,000 people watch
Gimbels race, Ely's engine quit, Beachey won
Chicago Air Show , 1/2 million spectators
first air mail delivery but the bag split when it hit the ground
one aviator died, had only learned to fly 3 weeks earlier and one other death
2.5 million watched
May 1910 first cross country flight, 150 miles
ocean to ocean, first time plane used for marketing, Sept 17 leave Brooklyn,
Rodgers crashed five times, engine exploded 2 times
30 day limit, long gone
arrive in CA and crash again
3,390 miles, finally got there 68 stops in 49 days
Beachey well known for his stunts
Ely crash in a dip
4 of the most famous aviators died in one year
newbie want to beat Beachey and dies
Florence Walker, woman to compete as well as man, it was actually Lincoln Beachey dressed as a woman
146 aviator fatalities in 1,390 days
first woman to cross the English Channel
Titanic had sunk 2 days earlier so it didn't get much attention
Quimby days later was thrown from her plane and died
African American, James Herman Banning, 1924 or 1925, Bessie Coleman had international license in 1921, Emory Malick March 1912
May 1913 Beachey announces he'll never fly again
Aug 1913 Pegoud jump from plane and parachute 900 feet
first fly upside down , not real loop so he did it again but Russian aviator did true loop in the meantime
Beachey returns, flawed planed, 2nd time good loop and then spin during loop, many stunts continue, 7 loops, indoor flight
Beachey fly in DC to promote aviation
Beachey's death is the end of the exhibition era
"By 1915, not one single feature of the original Wright Flyer remained in use." page 212
great timeline
glossary
Notes
Bibliography
grade: C, lack of diversity, read like non-fiction, a bit dry
audience: middle school, junior high, high school
Quotes/Author:
"Wilbur Wright was a genius, one of the greatest instinctive scientists America has ever produced." page 41
"By 1915, not one single feature of the original Wright Flyer remained in use." page 212
Possible Cautions:
Multiple deaths from flying accidents
Detailed Notes:
/////// SPOILERS /////// SPOILERS /////// SPOILERS ///////
for all history, man has wanted to fly like birds
June 4, 1783, hot air balloons
1891 glider wings worked
"birdman" Otto L _____________
broke spine and died, "sacrifices must be made"
Wright brothers then continue his work
Tom Baldwin, improve parachute, didn't get patent so he lost a lot of money, got $1,000 per each public parachute jump at $1,000 feet
1888 Minneapolis parachute from 5,000 feet
1876 internal combustion engine
1884 first automobile
1901 Santos-Dumont navigate motorized balloon around Eiffel Tower and back to start, won the equivalent of $500,000
Oct 31, 1904, Knabenshue, pilot, and Baldwin Airship with wind and against wind for 37 minutes
where's the diversity in this book??? other countries/cultures did nothing for flight?
Santos-Dumont balloon had been knifed
Lincoln Beachey, bicycle racer, but too young to win against men
1903 Wright Brothers
motorcycles
"boy astronaut"
Aug 23, 1906, engine not powerful enough to life, tinkering then got wheels in air for significant hops
Nov, airborne greater than 700 feet
celebrated as first to fly airplane
Santos-Dumont
"Wilbur Wright was a genius, one of the greatest instinctive scientists America has ever produced." page 41
wind necessary
one wing tip up and one down when turn
control is crucial element of flight
explains about side to side laterally, yaw, roll, front to back is pitch
others tried to stop roll, but wilbur worked with it
Dec 17, 1903, Orville four successful flights
apply for patent
kept their plane secret until patent, they wanted to sell them , practice at Kitty Hawk
Autumn 1905, could fly for miles 100's of feet off ground
tried to sell airplanes without anyone seeing them but no luck, finally showed reporter with Scientific American, didn't fly in France or for US Army until 1908
Aug 8, 1908, Wilbur, first public flight
Sept 16, fly 40 minutes, Wilbur, 29 miles at 46 mph
meanwhile Orville is flying for the army
Sept 9, 57 minutes, 40 miles then 62 minutes at 50 mph
first fatality, Orville had pain from that crash for the rest of his life
Louis Bleriot crossed English Channel
race for flight went back and forth between France and the USA
Reims, 40,000 spectators, race fastest 20 km
100,000s of people watched Curtiss from main race
LA,CA for US Air Show, 250,000 people attended
Wright Brothers then decide to be more public
some of the extra notes/info are irrelevant to flight, random distracting
could work as pilot for Wright Brothers (less money, more restrictive) or Curtiss (50/50 money, less restrictive)
the higher the danger, then greater the audience
"stardust twins" Arch Hoxsey and Ralph Johnstone
Moissant, first metal, aluminum plane, two planes crashed so then only flying
1910 altitude of nearly 10,000, John Moisant won Statue of Liberty race, Moisant's brother start flying school, 2 students are women
Matilde Moisant and Harriet Quimby
Nov 14, 1910 Ely, take off from ship, Ralph Johnstone killed same week, Moisant died in test flight, Hoxsey died in altitude flight, Ely land on ship
June 27, 1911, Beachy fly over Niagara Falls, 150,000 people watch
Gimbels race, Ely's engine quit, Beachey won
Chicago Air Show , 1/2 million spectators
first air mail delivery but the bag split when it hit the ground
one aviator died, had only learned to fly 3 weeks earlier and one other death
2.5 million watched
May 1910 first cross country flight, 150 miles
ocean to ocean, first time plane used for marketing, Sept 17 leave Brooklyn,
Rodgers crashed five times, engine exploded 2 times
30 day limit, long gone
arrive in CA and crash again
3,390 miles, finally got there 68 stops in 49 days
Beachey well known for his stunts
Ely crash in a dip
4 of the most famous aviators died in one year
newbie want to beat Beachey and dies
Florence Walker, woman to compete as well as man, it was actually Lincoln Beachey dressed as a woman
146 aviator fatalities in 1,390 days
first woman to cross the English Channel
Titanic had sunk 2 days earlier so it didn't get much attention
Quimby days later was thrown from her plane and died
African American, James Herman Banning, 1924 or 1925, Bessie Coleman had international license in 1921, Emory Malick March 1912
May 1913 Beachey announces he'll never fly again
Aug 1913 Pegoud jump from plane and parachute 900 feet
first fly upside down , not real loop so he did it again but Russian aviator did true loop in the meantime
Beachey returns, flawed planed, 2nd time good loop and then spin during loop, many stunts continue, 7 loops, indoor flight
Beachey fly in DC to promote aviation
Beachey's death is the end of the exhibition era
"By 1915, not one single feature of the original Wright Flyer remained in use." page 212
great timeline
glossary
Notes
Bibliography
January 14, 2018
This book is brief look into the perils of aviation. When aviation first started, many planes crashed and aviators lost their life. Pilots pushed the boundaries against speed, height and low altitude flying. Many of the pilots discussed here were fearless and helped move the needle in aviation. The book is well written and the pace flows quickly. People without a science or engineering will still enjoy this book. The technical terms are well explained and suitable for juvenile reading.
May 23, 2017
Incredibly inspiring. These people did not give up at the first sign of failure.
July 30, 2017
Excellent nonfiction weaving information about the pioneers of aviation into a fascinating story.
October 24, 2017
A useful tool to place a story on the pages about the personalities involved in actually flying the early flying machines and airplanes.
Read
December 18, 2017it looks interesting...I really didn't read it, but wanted to note that it has a Lexile score of 1,150. as of Dec, 2017 there is no test.
July 17, 2019
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. Goldstone paints a great picture of the early days of aviation.
August 11, 2021
My brothers got me to listen to this one. Didn’t super enjoy it. Mostly just, “this person did stupid stunts in an airplane and then died in a crash”.
February 6, 2017
I picked up an ARC of this title at the ALA Midwinter meeting and carried it around with me all weekend, reading it in between sessions. Our school participates in the Civil Air Patrol's A.C.E. program, so I am always on the lookout for good books about aerospace and aviation. The cover caught my eye and once I began reading it, I was drawn in by the descriptions of the risks those early aviators took to set records and try out new improvements to the technology. Some of the names are familiar to most of use - the Wright brothers, Bleriot, perhaps the Montgolfiers. But most of the flyers, who were household names in their day, are unknown now. Hearing about the fierce competition to set altitude and speed records, or to be the first to perform a loop or roll, it is hard to imagine the courage it took to fly in an open cockpit with no safety gear and attempt these incredible feats.
The chronological narrative helps readers to understand the developments and advances that aviation was undergoing, while also detailing the triumphs and tragedies that happened along the way. Archival photos, advertisements, posters, ticket stubs and other ephemera document bring the words on the page to life in our imaginations. The helpful back matter, including a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, will help with understanding and will lead the curious to new sources of information.
A well-written and captivating look at a time in history that captured the imagination and admiration of the world and still enthralls us today. Recommended for ages 8+.
The chronological narrative helps readers to understand the developments and advances that aviation was undergoing, while also detailing the triumphs and tragedies that happened along the way. Archival photos, advertisements, posters, ticket stubs and other ephemera document bring the words on the page to life in our imaginations. The helpful back matter, including a timeline, glossary, and bibliography, will help with understanding and will lead the curious to new sources of information.
A well-written and captivating look at a time in history that captured the imagination and admiration of the world and still enthralls us today. Recommended for ages 8+.
January 9, 2017
Early aviation meant lots of plane crashes and grizzly deaths. Read this ARC to discover bodies smashed by motors, women pilots thrown from the plane and horribly crushed , aviators who survived a crash, only to drown. The pilots raced against trains, cars and other planes. They were brave, they were crazy...and it's all in this book!
Our teen book group received this as a review galley from Little, Brown & Co. I thought I would read it to book talk it and get the teens excited about reading a non-fiction book. It is really well written, and full of interesting, details about the early men and women of flight, their death defying tricks, and sometimes their gory deaths. The discoveries are amazing, and their stories even more so.
I don't think I will have any trouble getting some teens to read this and review it. I wasn't interested in aviation, and I found this fascinating!
Our teen book group received this as a review galley from Little, Brown & Co. I thought I would read it to book talk it and get the teens excited about reading a non-fiction book. It is really well written, and full of interesting, details about the early men and women of flight, their death defying tricks, and sometimes their gory deaths. The discoveries are amazing, and their stories even more so.
I don't think I will have any trouble getting some teens to read this and review it. I wasn't interested in aviation, and I found this fascinating!
Want to read
March 13, 2017Dibs for TRL SRP. :)
April 10, 2017
Brief and succinct snippets of aviators during the dawn of flight. Lots of death and injury for these brave and crazy early fliers. Though I don't know if I hold them in as high regard as the author, as he credits them for advancing much of aviation, it seemed they were very reckless in rushing towards untested limits seemingly mostly for fame and fortune. Surely we would still have advanced flight today if they could have taken a little longer to iron out the bugs in their machines. Story after story in the book seems to be of them rushing to push forward with hobbled together gear to meet some contest or exhibition deadline and so that a foreign flyer would not supersede them in reaching new height records or other measurement for danger. In the end I agree with Woodrow Wilson's assessment that it seems a bit too reckless.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews