The Wright Brothers Legacy: Orville and Wilbur Wright and Their Aeroplanes in Pictures [Hardcover]

Walt Burton (Author), Owen Findsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2003

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, this book is an in-depth photographic portrait of their monumental work in aviation - and the world's reaction to the invention of flight. From their early experiments with gliders to the first flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft, from their tours of European and American air shows to their development of a military aircraft to the final installation of the Kitty Hawk Flyer at the Smithsonian Institution in 1948, this volume celebrates an invention that changed the world. Composed entirely of photographs of the brothers and their aircraft, as well as such memorabilia and souvenirs as vintage postcards, posters, stereopticon images and toys, the images in this book are drawn from an extensive, private Wright Brothers collection. Many examples are by the Wright Brothers' personal photographer, William Preston Mayfield.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

With the one-hundredth anniversary of powered flight, here's yet another book on the Wright brothers. What makes this one exceptional is the 250 illustrations--most of them photographs. The images were selected from a private collection, from the Library of Congress, and from Wright State University. The private collection belongs to Burton, who found and purchased the vintage estate prints of William Preston Mayfield, who began photographing the brothers in 1910. The photos show their early experiments with gliders, their 1903 flight, and their tours of European and American air shows. Others include one showing their sister and her friends sitting around a dining table, a view of the Wright family home taken from the street, the first glider, Orville flying while Wilbur runs alongside the plane, Orville with the king and queen of Spain, and the brothers with President Taft. This photographic record of their pioneering work in aviation is being published to coincide with The Wright Brothers Legacy, an exhibition organized by the Dayton Art Institute. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Walt Burton, editor, is a collector and dealer in vintage photography. Burton discovered and purchased the archives of William Preston Mayfield, a Dayton, Ohio photographer who was the Wright Bros, personal photographer. Among the 7,000 negatives and images are hundreds of unpublished images of the Wright Brothers and their aircraft. Burton went on to acquire a vast collection of Wright-related material, including vintage postcards, letters, posters, and related souvenirs. Owen Findsen is a writer and historian specializing in Ohio history. He was a features writer with the Cincinnati Enquirer for 35 years.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams (June 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810942674
• ISBN-13: 978-0810942677
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 10.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Pictures, October 31, 2004

By 

mpask "mpask" (Forest Lake, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wright Brothers Legacy: Orville and Wilbur Wright and Their Aeroplanes in Pictures (Hardcover)

FIrst book I read on Wright Brothers. Excellent pictures and good bood. Wish I could get some of these pictures in 5x7 glossy for the walls in my house, even "first flight". After reading the book, I went back looking at the pictures several times.