Man Flies: The Story of Alberto Santos-Dumont, Master of the Balloon, Conqueror of the Air

Rating:
Summary: Great little book about the real inventor of the airplane
Review: I have just read the book, and it's great. It's really well written, and even if it doesn't go too deep (and I believe that was never Mrs. Winters' goal with this project), it goes deep enough to raise a few eyebrows, and make us wonder: how come the real inventor of the airplane can be almost forgotten nowadays?
After all, his vehicle, the 14-bis, unlike the Wright Brothers Flyer, could fly by its own means...

Rating:
Summary: Was Nancy Winters trying to write a children's book?
Review: If so she succeeded, because "Man Flies" certainly reads like one. It's not just that her cloyingly cute and vaguely condescending writing style would quickly become grating on any reader much past adolescence. Winters accomplishes the incredible feat of making a deeply moving and compelling true story seem almost tedious with an analysis which seldom rises above the comic-book level. And her research is really no better than her writing. Her arrogant claim that she was the one to "uncover the story of Alberto Santos-Dumont" is an insult to all serious students of aviation history, who are not only quite familiar with Alberto but can easily spot the sloppy inaccuracies in this book.[i.e., Winters' flatly stating that Santos-Dumont was the first to achieve powered, steered lighter-than-air flight. He wasn't; others beat him to it by over a decade.] But the most compelling question about Alberto is this: how could a man once almost universally hailed as the father of flight [the very first newspaper story about the Wright brothers was headlined "Local boys emulate the great Santos-Dumont"!] be so generally forgotten today? It is a question Winters barely even mentions, much less answers. Alberto deserves so much better a biography than this. In fact, he got one: "Santos-Dumont: A Study in Obsession" by Peter Wykeham. [Now out of print, but well worth looking for.]

Rating:
Summary: delightful little confection
Review: If so she succeeded, because "Man Flies" certainly reads like one. It's not just that her cloyingly cute and vaguely condescending writing style would quickly become grating on any reader much past adolescence. Winters accomplishes the incredible feat of making a deeply moving and compelling true story seem almost tedious with an analysis which seldom rises above the comic-book level. And her research is really no better than her writing. Her arrogant claim that she was the one to "uncover the story of Alberto Santos-Dumont" is an insult to all serious students of aviation history, who are not only quite familiar with Alberto but can easily spot the sloppy inaccuracies in this book.[i.e., Winters' flatly stating that Santos-Dumont was the first to achieve powered, steered lighter-than-air flight. He wasn't; others beat him to it by over a decade.] But the most compelling question about Alberto is this: how could a man once almost universally hailed as the father of flight [the very first newspaper story about the Wright brothers was headlined "Local boys emulate the great Santos-Dumont"!] be so generally forgotten today? It is a question Winters barely even mentions, much less answers. Alberto deserves so much better a biography than this. In fact, he got one: "Santos-Dumont: A Study in Obsession" by Peter Wykeham. [Now out of print, but well worth looking for.]

Rating:
Summary: Great reading about the Father Of Aviation!
Review: It left me wanting for even more! This book told me a lot about the greatest pioneer of aviation! Very pleasant presentation and chronological progression of events.The photographs, some of which I've never seen before, are very nice too! I wish the author would release yet another book from the product of her diggings about Santos-Dumont.

Rating:
Summary: delightful little confection
Review: Like the previous reviewer, I agree that the writing is simple and there is a lack of depth in the presentation. However, unlike the previous reviewer, I don't believe that that spoils the project. This little volume was meant as a general intro to a subject with many chapters and even more footnotes. For readers with just a passing interest, this will be sufficient information. For others, it will whet their appetites (a short bibliography is included). Either way, there is no denying that this little book is very handsomely produced and a delight to behold. The many vintage photos and illustrations are outstanding - they compensate nicely for the sparse text . If you only read books found in univeristy libraries, this project will probably disappoint. But if you like smartly produced picture books and the story of early flight is of interest to you, you will be happy to have Ms Winter's work. At a mere 5 in. X 8 in., this little volume travels well, too.