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Wings of Madness: Alberto Santos-Dumont and the Invention of Flight Paperback – June 16, 2004
>From Paul Hoffman, the acclaimed author of The Man Who Loved Only Numbers, comes this engaging true story of the man who was once hailed worldwide as the conqueror of the air -- Alberto Santos-Dumont. Because the Wright brothers worked in secrecy, word of their first flights had not reached Europe when Santos-Dumont took to the skies in 1906. The dashing and impeccably dressed aeronaut stunned and delighted Paris, barhopping around the city in a one-man dirigible he invented, circling above crowds and crashing into rooftops.
Yet Santos-Dumont was a frenzied genius tortured by the weight of his own creation. Wings of Madness is a riveting, brilliantly told story of this tormented man who helped to usher in the modern age and who epitomized the increasingly tortured spirit of the twentieth century -- it is elegant, fascinating, and deeply moving.
- Print length384 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHyperion
- Publication dateJune 16, 2004
- Grade level8 and up
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions5.25 x 1 x 7.75 inches
- ISBN-100786885718
- ISBN-13978-0786885718
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"As Hoffman so brilliantly tells the story . . . Santos-Dumot truly was a man like few others . . . a delight." -- Simon Winchester, New York Times
"Thorough and impressive . . . stylish and well-paced." -- Los Angeles Times
"[Hoffman's] compassionate and colorful account . . . is likely to stand as the definitive biography of this . . . aeronautical pioneer." -- San Francisco Chronicle
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Hyperion (June 16, 2004)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 384 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0786885718
- ISBN-13 : 978-0786885718
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Grade level : 8 and up
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 1 x 7.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,295,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #839 in Aviation History (Books)
- #1,246 in Aeronautics & Astronautics (Books)
- #2,606 in Scientist Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
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It does a solid job illustrating how his influence largely democratized flight and his role in contributing to modern technologies in the sphere of aviation and also horology.
A wonderful read, I couldn’t put it down.
The author did a very good work in presenting not only history, but recreating the personality of Alberto Santos Dumont, a man that is totally focused on his inventions.
As I read the book I found many reasons to think that Mr. Steven Spielberg would have material for a very good film....Santos Dumont was quite a man, great imagination, and a truly courageous person.
Hoffman descriptions of the way inventors in the end of the XIX century risked their lives, to develop and use the new technologies of their time, provides a good framework to understand Santos Dumont behavior, risking his life on many experiments for the good of mankind.
My perspective as to where Santos Dumont should be placed in aviation history differs from most Brazilians. The airplane was the product of several inventions done by different people, each one contributing with a piece of the puzzle. There is room for the accomplishments of many inovators, like Otto Lillienthal, the Wright Brothers, Alberto Santos Dumont, Glenn Curtiss... and many others.
I think Hoffman gives a balanced view of aviation history and Santos Dumont accomplishments.
The book is worth reading and you will enjoy it.
Oh, and Hyperion Press should be flayed for the horrible fake cover picture they photoshopped for this book. To decorate a carefully researched history book with a ridiculous lie is an insult to the author and the readers.

