or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
Express Checkout with PayPhrase
What's this? | Create PayPhrase
More Buying Choices
42 used & new from $3.80
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Kites
 
 
Share your own customer images
Look inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

Kites (Paperback)

~ (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
List Price: $17.95
Price: $14.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $3.95 (22%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Wednesday, February 10? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
24 new from $8.95 18 used from $3.80

Frequently Bought Together

Kites + Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them + 25 Kites that Fly
Price For All Three: $29.31

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Kites by David Pelham

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them by Margaret Greger

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • 25 Kites that Fly by Leslie L. Hunt

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them

Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them

by Margaret Greger
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $10.36
25 Kites that Fly

25 Kites that Fly

by Leslie L. Hunt
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $4.95
Kites: Flying Skills and Techniques, from Basic Toys to Sport Kites

Kites: Flying Skills and Techniques, from Basic Toys to Sport Kites

by Rosanne Cobb
$14.56
Easy-to-Make Decorative Kites: Step-by-Step Instructions for Nine Models from Around the World

Easy-to-Make Decorative Kites: Step-by-Step Instructions for Nine Models from Around the World

by Gill Bridgewater
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $4.95
Making of Japanese Kites: Tradition, Beauty and Creation

Making of Japanese Kites: Tradition, Beauty and Creation

by Masaaki Modegi
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $13.22
› Explore similar items

Product Details

  • Paperback: 227 pages
  • Publisher: Overlook TP; illustrated edition edition (February 1, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1585670170
  • ISBN-13: 978-1585670178
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 7.5 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.com Sales Rank: #569,721 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

David Pelham
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's David Pelham Page
Look Inside This Book
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | Index | Back Cover

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Kites
49% buy the item featured on this page:
Kites 4.1 out of 5 stars (9)
$14.00
Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them
22% buy
Kites for Everyone: How to Make and Fly Them 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
$10.36
Kites: Flying Skills and Techniques, from Basic Toys to Sport Kites
14% buy
Kites: Flying Skills and Techniques, from Basic Toys to Sport Kites
$14.56
Into the Wind: The Art of the Kite
8% buy
Into the Wind: The Art of the Kite 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
$18.21
Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(4)
(3)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
56 of 59 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" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
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!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
9 of 10 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(What's this?)
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.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book - HORRIBLE publishing, January 30, 2007
By BookMan (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) - See all my reviews
  
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.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome Back!!! Kites is from the LAST CENTURY and now it's back!!
"KITES," the book, made a whole lot of kids and grown ups delighted back in the last century and then it went away. My copy was lost when KATRINA hit NEW ORLEANS. Read more
Published 2 months ago by William J. Rappold

1.0 out of 5 stars Another silly use of 'search inside' function
OK, I am on a crusade here. When Amazon says 'search inside this book' I hope to see the kinds of kites the book teaches how to make. Read more
Published 17 months ago by A. Burke

2.0 out of 5 stars Good on Kite History, Lacking on Kite Flying and Construction
The 1st 110 pages of this 220 page book are about the history of kites. Interesting, and very well illustrated with old photos. Read more
Published on November 7, 2005 by Floatair

5.0 out of 5 stars Maybe the best ever kite book
I bought my first copy of this in 1976 and have worn out three copies in the intervening years. I have many kite books in my collection but still come back to this one for... Read more
Published on May 26, 2004 by Dr. William Cochrane

5.0 out of 5 stars Top of the line!
This is where it all started for me in 1978. Comprehensive descriptions and basic measurements, but all kites built from this book have flown very well. Read more
Published on August 19, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh boy! The perfect kite book for adults!
Wow, this book is really neat. It starts out with a fascinating history of kites and winds up with actual kite plans. Read more
Published on August 20, 2001 by Charles Hall

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:


















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.