At 10:35 in the morning of Thursday, December 17, 1903, man got his wings. On the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville Wright flew the motorized aircraft he and his brother Wilbur had constructed to a distance less than the length of the wingspan of today's 747 jet. They made three other flights the same day, the final lasting 59 seconds for a distance over the ground of 852 feet. The world would never be the same after that day. Mankind was finally off the ground in powered flight. And man's experiences in the air would forevermore join the literature of human endeavors, to be shared by kindred spirits as well as the curious sorts who have wanted to know, "What was it like up there?" In THE GREATEST FLYING STORIES EVER TOLD, editor Lamar Underwood has collected some of the finest writings, both fact and realistic fiction, to lay bare the drama of human beings coping with the skills needed to direct their machines through the vastness of the skies. With contributions from: Charles Lindbergh, Ernest K. Gann, General Chuck Yeager, Leo Janos, Tom Wolfe, Mary Lovell, Richard Bach, Rinker Buck, Diane Ackerman, Derek Robinson, and more.

About the Author
Lamar Underwood is the former editor-in-chief of Sports Afield and Outdoor Life and former editorial director of the Outdoor Magazine Group of Harris Publications in New York. The numerous books he has edited include Tales of the Mountain Men, The Greatest Hunting Stories Ever Told, Survival Stories, and War Stories. His novel On Dangerous Ground, was published by Doubleday. He lives in Pennington, NJ.

Reviews
"The editor uses a strong mix of biographies, memoirs and fictional accounts to breathe life into a love affair with flying. Terse, tight writing makes for fast-paced action: Eloquent prose recalls pioneers of flight."--The Post & Courier (Charleston, SC)
"The editor uses a strong mix of biographies, memoirs and fictional accounts to breathe life into a love affair with flying. Terse, tight writing makes for fast-paced action: Eloquent prose recalls pioneers of flight."--The Post & Courier (Charleston, SC)
"Every once in a while, a book publisher comes up with a great concept for a series of books that deserve more than superficial recognition. Such a series is "The Greatest (fill in the blank) Stories Ever Told", anthologies that should win places on many bedside tables. On the long winter nights that lie ahead, such stories make great reading."--The Lexington County Chronicle
"Another in Lyons Press's first-rate greatest stories series."--The Tampa Tribune



Book Information
ISBN 9781493019694
Author Lamar Underwood
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint The Lyons Press
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 531g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 150mm * 27mm