Customer Reviews

Flight: A History of Aviation in Photographs

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a great idea--a large format (11 1/4" x11 1/4") book--packed with telling photos from the beginnings of powered flight to the present. Some of the shots are stunning--a Wright flyer in an early air race whipping around a pylon, just inches above the ground; WWII dogfights; a rocket-tailed F-104 climbing straight into the sky.

Alas, much of the accompanying text is sub-par; the writing wooden, the commentary (and especially, the photo captions) riddled with errors, both minor and not-so-minor. (Or if not flat-out wrong, it's clear the author doesn't always understand the history of the airplane in question or the context of the photo.) Worse--the reproduction quality of photos is often sub-par, in part, due to the publisher using cheaper paper, in part, because the publisher didn't secure clean negatives or prints. I've seen many of these photos reproduced in other books, and the images are sharp, clear, and in focus. Not so this volume, and that's too bad, because "Flight" was a great idea, marred by indifferent execution.

Much more detailed and interesting than I had hoped for. Terrific photo reference. Delighted with my purchase. Terry