Smithy: The Life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith [Paperback]

Ian Mackersey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

During his brief 38 years of life, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was one of the most celebrated public idols in history, becoming for a few years in the early 30's a legend across the world for his brilliance as a pilot and his charismatic style among the pioneers of long-distance flying. The first person to fly an aircraft across the Pacific from America to Australia, he broke many solo flying records, and this brought him a status greater than any modern astronaut—a crowd of 300,000 greeted him in Sydney. But the price of his heroism was high, and the demands for celebrity and a messy private life ended in tragedy off the coast of Burma in 1935 in an attempt to fly from England to Australia. This biography explores his life and flying career.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith made the first successful trans-Pacific flight, and several other pioneering long-distance flights, too. An Australian national hero since the 1920s, he has long deserved the biography Mackersey gives him. Born to a large, exuberant, often broke Australian middle-class family, Smith served in World War I, and then obtained the financial support to become a serious contender in the long-distance-flying sweepstakes. Mackersey scrupulously avoids hagiography without sinking into sensationalism in dealing with his subject's drinking problem, phobias, womanizing, knack for alienating or cheating almost all of his partners, and final disappearance off the coast of Malaya in 1935. His seemingly indefatigable research for the book profited greatly from the fact that a great number of people who knew Smith--including both his wives--survived into their eighties and nineties to contribute to his superior work. A valuable, highly readable addition to aviation literature and a fine tribute to a genuine and genuinely flawed hero. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Ian Mackersey is a New Zealand writer and documentary film maker whose programmes since 1977 have won 24 awards internationally. He has worked in Hong Kong, London and Central Africa and before returning to New Zealand in 1983 he was head of film and television production at British Airways.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751526568
• ISBN-13: 978-0751526561
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,702,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Entertaining, October 6, 2000

By 

David (Brisbane, Aus) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smithy: The Life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (Paperback)

While i confess to not having read any other books on Sir Charles, I have an appreciation of sorts through the many Smithy stories i had grown up with. My father had worked at Brisbane airport where the Southern Cross stands today and as a boy i recall him telling me Smithy stories as we walked around the old plane. Naturally, 70 odd years after the epic flight, traffic streams past and no one gives it a second glance (although oddly this amazing historical icon is almost hidden from view). I wonder how many young Australians today know who this man is and what he contributed to world aviation.

This book offered a smorgasboard of adventure and excitement and really does put into perspective the amazing feats this man accomplished. It also shows to us a character that was flawed in many ways. Smithy is portrayed as being reckless, selfish and irresponsible and yet also often displayed amazing courage, determination and humour. The book seems factually thorough while continues to flow nicely and is really an entertaining read.

This book would provide an ideal starting point for a film, that could further document and publicise, not only Smithy but all those other early aviation pioneers. Just so many amazing flights amidst so much danger and often so much fun.

A great story of a legend from a time when you really had to do something to earn that epithet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, January 23, 2001

By 

Jonathan Stoner (Frankfurt Deutschland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Smithy: The Life of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith (Paperback)

I was reading this book on a visit to NZ, flying from Los Angeles to Auckland. This put Smithy's epic adventures in a new light...as a commercial pilot myself, I could start (just start)to appreciate the problems they encountered, let alone the fear they must have felt... An excellent book, well researched, and as the review states, "not a dull page in the book". Well done Ian.