Product Description
Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, this book is an in-depth photographic portrait of their monumental work in aviation - and the world's reaction to the invention of flight. From their early experiments with gliders to the first flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft, from their tours of European and American air shows to their development of a military aircraft to the final installation of the Kitty Hawk Flyer at the Smithsonian Institution in 1948, this volume celebrates an invention that changed the world. Composed entirely of photographs of the brothers and their aircraft, as well as such memorabilia and souvenirs as vintage postcards, posters, stereopticon images and toys, the images in this book are drawn from an extensive, private Wright Brothers collection. Many examples are by the Wright Brothers' personal photographer, William Preston Mayfield.
About the Author
Walt Burton, editor, is a collector and dealer in vintage photography. Burton discovered and purchased the archives of William Preston Mayfield, a Dayton, Ohio photographer who was the Wright Bros, personal photographer. Among the 7,000 negatives and images are hundreds of unpublished images of the Wright Brothers and their aircraft. Burton went on to acquire a vast collection of Wright-related material, including vintage postcards, letters, posters, and related souvenirs. Owen Findsen is a writer and historian specializing in Ohio history. He was a features writer with the Cincinnati Enquirer for 35 years.
