Barons of the Sky: From Early Flight to Strategic Warfare: The Story of the American Aerospace Industry
A 1991 New York Times Notable Book of the Year\ This panoramic history of the rise of the American aerospace industry traces the careers of the men whose names became synonymous with today's military-industrial complex: Glenn Martin of Martin Marietta, Donald Douglas of McDonnell Douglas, Jack Northrop of Northrop, and Allan and Malcolm Loughead of Lockheed. Weaving together institutional history and individual biography, Wayne Biddle depicts the years of uncertainty after World War I, the...
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***A 1991 New York Times Notable Book of the YearAuthor Biography: Wayne Biddle, who shared a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting at the New York Times, is on the faculty of the Writing Seminars at the Johns Hopkins University. USA Today - Lawrence Korb A compelling narrative . . . Much more than just a simple biography of aviation pioneers, it is also an astute analysis of the origins of the problems that have plagued the defense industry during the last seventy-five years.
Contents:Preface to the 2001 Johns Hopkins EditionPrologueChapter 1: Invention before IndustryChapter 2: Money-Minded EccentricsChapter 3: Southern CaliforniaChapter 4: The Great PropositionChapter 5: The Rat RaceChapter 6: DepressionChapter 7: Merchants of DeathChapter 8: ExportsChapter 9: The Iron CornucopiaChapter 10: Permanent RearmamentEpilogue: Fates
\ New York Times Book ReviewTimely history for Americans living in an era of $95 billion contracts for fighter planes.\ — Thomas P. Hughes\ \ \ \ \ \ San Francisco ChronicleBiddle pulls back the cover of the traditional myths about the founders of these firms being steely business geniuses and gifted aeronautical engineers. He paints a fascinating and stormy portrait of eccentric and often uneducated visionaries who happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right dreams.\ — John J. Nance\ \ \ \ USA TodayA compelling narrative... Much more than just a simple biography of aviation pioneers, it is also an astute analysis of the origins of the problems that have plagued the defense industry during the last seventy-five years.\ \ \ \ \ \ Washington PostBiddle, in this thoroughly researched and admirably written book... finds that the national symbiosis of aviation and government has roots both early and deep.\ — Gregg Herken\ \ \ \ \ \ Gregg HerkenBiddle, in this thoroughly researched and admirably written book . . . finds that the national symbiosis of aviation and government has roots both early and deep. \ —Washington Post\ \ \ \ \ John J. NanceBiddle pulls back the cover of the traditional myths about the founders of these firms being steely business geniuses and gifted aeronautical engineers. He paints a fascinating and stormy portrait of eccentric and often uneducated visionaries who happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right dreams. \ —San Francisco Chronicle\ \ \ \ \ Lawrence KorbA compelling narrative . . . Much more than just a simple biography of aviation pioneers, it is also an astute analysis of the origins of the problems that have plagued the defense industry during the last seventy-five years. \ —USA Today\ \ \ \ \ Thomas P. HughesTimely history for Americans living in an era of $95 billion contracts for fighter planes. \ —New York Times Book Review\ \ \ \ \ BooknewsThis history of the American aerospace industry combines institutional history with individual biography, tracing the careers of key figures such as Glenn Martin of Martin Marietta, Donald Douglas of McDonnell Douglas, Jack Northrop of Northrop, and Allan and Malcolm Loughhead of Lockheed. Biddle, who shared a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting at the , is on the writing faculty at the Johns Hopkins University. The original edition of this reprint was published in 1991 by Simon & Schuster, New York. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
