If We Had Wings: The Enduring Dream of Flight

by Rinker Buck

The story of the men, women, and machines that changed the world by turning a dream of flying into a thrilling reality is enhanced by dozens of interactive elements including letters, diaries, tickets, stickers, and other delights for flying enthusiasts.

Genres: Aviation

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2001

About the author

Rinker Buck began his career in journalism at the Berkshire Eagle and was a longtime staff writer for the Hartford Courant. He has written for Vanity Fair, New York, Life, and many other publications, and his stories have won the Eugene S. Pulliam National Journalism Writing Award and the Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award. He is the author of The Oregon Trail as well as the acclaimed memoirs Flight of Passage and First Job. He lives in northwest Connecticut.

Follow him at Facebook.com/RinkerBuck.

Reviews

[Kiri]

Very engaging cruise through the history of aviation. Each two-page spread describes a leap forward or an exciting time with new technology (or new wars) in the making. I've been in awe of the early airmail pilots ever since I read Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail, and it was great to run into them here again. Another fascinating bit is the description of the early development of commercial aviation and the contrast between how it was originally designed (luxurious cabins that sought to emulate the comfort of an ocean cruise) to what we have today.

This isn't a long book, but something that makes it stand out is the inclusion of (reproductions of) artifacts from the history of aviation - from a letter written by a WWI prisoner of war to Chuck Yeager's flight report when he broke the sound barrier to President Kennedy's telegram congratulating the Russians for sending Gagarin into space. Quite a gem!

[Patrick]

Reviews the history of flight in the 20th Century from the Wright Brothers to the Apollo moon landings. Includes replicas of historical memorabilia (such as letters, travel brochures and luggage stickers) which makes the book fun for the younger generation--my 8yr old son loves it!

[Cindy Lovell]

Part scrapbook, part history book. Everyone who loves aviation will love this book that includes 3-D replica artifacts.