Five Favorite Books
The Winged Gospel by Joseph J. Corn
An amusing and provocative study of the romance – one might even say religion – of aviation’s first half-century in America. Corn draws upon a rich variety of sources and assembles fresh and interesting material to provide a scaffolding of interpretive approaches and questions. FavoriteAviation Book #1
Aviatrix by Elinor Smith Sullivan
One of the most human, heart-warming stories of aviation to appear. The reader finds himself running along beside her, flying with her in the cockpit, helping her to fight off her adversaries, laughing with her, sorrowing with her for her departed friends, sharing the excitement of her triumphs. Elinor Smith’s experience of carving a career in her own right at a time when women were supposed to sit at home and look pretty brands her as a pioneer. Favorite Aviation Book # 2
For five weeks from Aril 14 to May 21, 1927, the world was hel rapt by the story of fourteen aviators who took to the air to win the &25,000 prize that would be awarded to the first man to cross the Atlantic Ocean without stopping. In Atlantic Fever, Jackson delves into the lives of the big-name competitors – the polar explorer Richard Byrd, the millionaire Charles Levine, and the enigmatic Charles Lindbergh, the race’s eventual winner – as well as those whose names have been forgotten by history. Atlantic Fever is a spellbinding book that opens a new window into a moment when the nexus of technology, innovation, character, and spirit captured the imagination of the world. Favorite Aviation Book #3
Before Amelia by Eileen F. Lebow
Amelia Earhart is, without a doubt, the world’s most famous aviator, but she was not the first. Before Amelia introduces the world’s remarkable women pioneer aviators who braved the dangers and challenges of the first two decades of flight. The story begins with Raymonde de Laroche, a French woman who became the first licensed female pilot in 1910. De Laroche, Russia’s Lydia Zverea, Germany’s Melli Beese, Britain’s Hilda Hewlett, America’s Harriet Quimby, and the other women pilots profiled in the book rose above contemporary gender stereotypes and proved their ability to fly the temperamental heavier-than-air contraptions of the day. Favorite Aviation Book # 4
Sisters of the Wind by Elizabeth S. Bell
This book is an inspiring study of the writings of a group of daring aviation pioneers. These American and British women were trailblazers during the infancy of human flight. They explored, set records, and risked their lives for a dream. Their accounts record experiences in a field not only unconventional for women, but often actively hostile. How they deal with these circumstances and how they choose to tell their stories is highly revealing of their personalities and of the time. Favorite Aviation Book # 5