Hindenburg: An Illustrated History [Paperback]

Rick Archbold (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2005

Full-color illustrations complement a history of the era of dirigible flight, revealing what travel was like aboard the luxury German airship, the Hindenburg, and detailing its spectacular and tragic 1937 demise.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This lavish volume on dirigibles will receive a 75,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The brainchild of Graf von Zeppelin, dirigibles, for all their elegant majesty, were in constant search of a mission. They were used for sightseeing excursions, bombing London in World War I, exploring the Arctic, carrying airplanes, and then carrying passengers in luxurious comfort on transoceanic routes. Though each of these roles ended in a deadly catastrophe, a famously flaming one for the Hindenburg, the image of these stately behemoths persists in the imagination. Yesteryear soars spectacularly with this glossy album. Hundreds of photos restore the wonderment the zeppelins induced wherever they flew, as many frames include the gawking crowds they attracted. The text artfully supports the illustrations (and original paintings by Marschall) with details on the birth of rigid-frame designs, the delicacy of flying them, their promotion in the 1920s as superior to airplanes, and the peak of their development with the LZ 129, as the Hindenburg was designated before the Nazis pasted their flag and the wooden titan's name on it. A fine publishing concept gracefully executed, this work is prime public library material. Gilbert Taylor --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Chartwell Books (April 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785819738
• ISBN-13: 978-0785819738
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 11.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,410,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, November 29, 2000

By 

Rod D. Martin (Grace Hall, Destin, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hindenburg: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

A beautiful (nay, sumptuous) oversized book that bedazzles with both its original paintings and its endless historical illustrations and photographs; but also an excellent introduction to the history of airships, in all countries (that the book is titled "Hindenburg" is unfortunate, as the Hindenburg herself figures into only a small portion of the book). Full but not overwhelming coverage of wartime Zeps is a plus. Both the historian and the fan of 30s art will be deeply pleased.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History of the Hindenburg & Other Airships, March 15, 2001

By 

Kristen (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hindenburg: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

To this day, I don't know why I am so fascinated with the Hindenburg, but I do know that she is an amazing airship to study. Her firey crash as well as some other famous crashes (Macon, Akron, Shenandoah, etc.) are discussed, in detail, in this book. So it's not just the Hindenburg's history, but the whole history of airships in general, right down to the present day Goodyear blimp. I've absolutely enjoyed reading this book cover to cover because of the history that has been detailed throughout the career of the airships of the past. "Hindenburg: The Illustrated History" is worth getting for anybody who loves airships or history's great disasters.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book is a Steal - Get It!, January 15, 2005

By 

Peter Schmidt (Orlando, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hindenburg: An Illustrated History (Hardcover)

I have had this book for over 5 years. When I compare what I paid for it then to how cheaply it is available now, it's a no-brainer...GET IT, especially if you find one in good condition with a nice dust-jacket.

This book is intended to be a BRIEF overview of airships, with a lot of pictures. It's a nice coffee-table type book. Perhaps it is a bit mis-titled, because it deals with many other airships before the "Hindenburg." I would estimate that only 1/4 of the book deals with the "Hindenburg" per se.

This book does not go into great detail about each era, but it will talk about pre-WWI airships and Count Zeppelin, a tiny bit on non-rigids and semi-rigids, WWI airship operations, British rigid experiments (the R-100 and R-101), the "Norge" North Pole trip, the American Rigids (The "Shenandoah" "Akron" and "Macon"), and it spends a lot of time talking about the "Hindenburg's" immediate predecessor, the "Graf Zeppelin," as well as Hugo Eckener, the man who took over after Count Zeppelin passed away.

There are so many beautiful and fascinating pictures and paintings of these airships. The paintings are in color, contributing to giving the reader a good understanding of what these magnificent giants looked like.

Don't expect a lot of detail on each airship; it always leaves me wanting to know more. But again, the design of the book is to give just a brushstroke of the airship era, which it does very very well.

I am a semi-buff on airships, and I would NEVER get rid of this book. It is especially good if you just want an introduction on the era. If you are looking for a more "meaty" book on the subject, you will have to find one that deals with a particular airship or era. For German WWI airships, I highly recommend "The Zeppelin in Combat...A History of the German Naval Airship Division 1912-1918" by Douglas Robinson.

This would be the book to start with on the subject of airships. WELL WORTH THE PRICE!!!