Customer Reviews

Hindenburg: An Illustrated History

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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.

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.

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!!!

This is the definitive history of the Airship from it's creation to it's untimely demise and of the future.

The Hindenburg has always fascinated people and the it's firey ending at the Lakehurst is now part of aviation fokelore.

This book plots the track of the Airship and mainly focuses on the Rigid Airship and it's humble beginings on Lake Constance, it's role in the First World War and life before the Second.

As typical of Archbold's works, it is beautifully illustrated throughout and is full of all the technical data needed to understand these magnificent machines.

All nations that developed the Airship are covered and their failings are all laid out to bare. The British experience reads of arrogance and even when the great Dr Hugo Eckner offered his assistance, they turned him down. The United States pushed the envelope too far and even though they had the most modern Airships to date, sadly they too would be put off developing a transport network.

In the end it would be Germany with it's conservatisim and experience that would see out the great Airship era with the globetrotting LZ127 Graf Zeppelin and LZ129 Hindenburg, it's life cut short by that tragic day in 1937. If helium had been used, flights would have continued with the last Airship, the new Graf Zepplin LZ130 and it was used for recon flights just before war was going to break out. When the end came, it was swift and sudden and the great Airship era was over.

Truly a great book on the by-gone era of airships. Copiously illustrated, "The Hindenburg - An Illustrated History" teaches the reader not only about the one airship that everyone remembers, but also about airships in general.

Count Zeppelin was the grandfather of the Hindenburg, but other designers are chronicled here. Germany, England, and the US all have their airship histories summarized.

The paintings bring to life an age that will never come again . . . when the airship ruled the skies.

Look for this book in auctions if you have any interest in airships.

I picked this one up at the library on a whim, and liked it so much that I bought it for myself when I happened to see it in a bookstore. It is fascinatingly well-written, and lovingly comprehensive -- to give a rounded picture of this ill-fated airship, the author has to cover virtually the entire history of airships past and present, to let the reader know how really special this great ship was. And the pictures and illustrations! Why there's even a foldout diagram of the ship's layout, pictures of the cabins and so on. I'm by no means a zeppelin "buff" but I found this fascinating all the way through!

Supurb photo reproduction is complimented by paintings and drawings that are also photographic in quality. The text covers it all, especially the German, British, and American phases, and is very readable. If my Library were to be confined to one book on Airships instead of the 20 I have. it would have to be this one.

The book is as impressive as other reviewers have indicated. Beautifully illustrated and a virtually complete history of the development of the type. The comprehensive illustrations (and it IS an illustrated history) leave little room for developing the text so although the history of the airship and its place in geopolitics and history is correctly portrayed there is virtually no reference to the true reason for the demise of airships - the succesful development of cheaper, faster heavier than air aircraft that (usually!) delivered their cargos more reliably and on time. None the less the book IS a good illustration source and provides sufficient pointers for further detailed research.

"HINDENBURG, AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY" is tells the story of airships from day 1 to the present. With over 30 different airships, and around 20 disasters, this is the only book that can tell you the history of almost airship in creation.

My father witnessed the arrival of the Graf Zeppellin at the 1933 worlds fair in Chicago, with his parents, my grandparents. Grandmas' employer and his son held tickets to King George the 5th's coronation when the Hindenburge arrived that fateful day on May 6,1937 when to their horror it burned itself to extinction in less than a minute. George and Harvey went on to publish their own impressions in a small book of their own contrivance. I myself held a peice of Hindenburgs charred outer covering in my own hands as a fellow student presented what was his own fathers recollection of that moment. Hindenburges incredible sky technology helped define an era. As does Cloud computeing enhance our own time. As one Teknud to another I could rhapsodise for hours on the erie interface between then now. Some things dont change;there is something timeless about airship travel afterall.-Oscarnemisher