Kites [Paperback]

David Pelham (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585670170
• ISBN-13: 978-1585670178
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 7.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for both beginner and seasoned enthusiast!, May 18, 2000

By 

Drewster "drewster" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kites (Paperback)

I am basing this review on an edition of this book (published by Penguin and previously called the Penguin Book of Kites) which I have owned for more than twenty years.

This is a wonderful book for both the beginning kite flyer/maker and for those with more experience. It starts with the basics: types of kites, how to launch and fly them (like why you SHOULDN'T run with a kite to launch it), and continues on to materials, methods and many plans for kites. From your basic diamond-shaped kite to deltas to dragons (long-tailed) to box kites to fighting kites to stunt kites to multi-celled "snowflake" and parafoil kites, it has enough to keep you busy for many years.

In a word, this book is COMPREHENSIVE, and if you only own one kite book (and I own many) this is an excellent choice. My old edition is falling apart at the seams from overuse, and I am truly thankful that this book has finally been re-issued (after 24 years). I'm getting a new one right away!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book - HORRIBLE publishing, January 30, 2007

By 

BookMan - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Kites (Paperback)

This book is, without question, an exemplary work on the fascinating topic of kites. This work explores their history in detail and should certainly be in the library of anyone who is interested in the subject.

Sadly, there are some problems with this book that are certainly unrelated to its content but, due to their ability to interfere with reading it, must be mentioned here. Never, and I mean this literally, have I ever read a book which was published using such incredibly small type and my vision certainly isn't that bad. The type used is so small that it's almost impossible to read much without getting distracted. Furthermore, the type used for captions to the many great photographs and drawings is even smaller. Then, to compound matters, the ink used for text reflects light in such a way that one can only read the book when positioned properly. According to the cover pages, the book was printed in China and, I don't know if they used poor printing techniques or where just trying to save money but this book is, without question, the most poorly published I've ever come across. About my only criticism regarding the content of this book is that it could use a quick edit as there are few items that get annoying very quickly; in particular, the author's (or editor's) decision to use the metric system (nothing wrong with that, per se) but that those measurements are consistently then provided using the imperial system with that number being preceded with the word "say." For example, the kite measured one meter (say 1.09 yards), etc. The strange use of the word "say" (which often appears several times on a page) gets to be really irritating.

Granted, this review is rather different but the poor publishing and editing decisions greatly interfere with what would otherwise be an incredible book.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh boy! The perfect kite book for adults!, August 20, 2001

By 

Charles Hall (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kites (Paperback)

Wow, this book is really neat. It starts out with a fascinating history of kites and winds up with actual kite plans. The history section includes lots of interesting facts I've never heard before. It begins with the ancient origins but includes the 19th and early 20th century inventors (Cody, Bell, etc.) in enough detail to understand what they were really doing. The history section winds up with the inventors of the hang glider (1948) and parafoil (60's). Lots of rare photos and drawing are used to illustrate their work.

After that there are sections on kite flying, kite construction, materials, plans, etc. The text here is terse and to the point, with sufficient detail and scaling information to build the kites whose plans are included (or so it appears, I didn't try to build one). A wide variety of kite plans are included, from traditional designs to unique ones; with enough airflow theory thrown in here and there to make you think you could design your own.

It's lavishly illustrated, but the small format prevents this from being a "coffee table" book. I can't recommend this book highly enough for adults or inventive teens.