The Wright Brothers

By David McCullough

Book Overview

The #1 New York Times bestseller from David McCullough, two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize--the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly--Wilbur and Orville Wright.

On a winter day in 1903, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, two brothers--bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio--changed history. But it would take the world some time to believe that the age of flight had begun, with the first powered machine carrying a pilot.

Orville and Wilbur Wright were men of exceptional courage and determination, and of far-ranging intellectual interests and ceaseless curiosity. When they worked together, no problem seemed to be insurmountable. Wilbur was unquestionably a genius. Orville had such mechanical ingenuity as few had ever seen. That they had no more than a public high school education and little money never stopped them in their mission to take to the air. Nothing did, not even the self-evident reality that every time they took off, they risked being killed.

In this "enjoyable, fast-paced tale" (The Economist), master historian David McCullough "shows as never before how two Ohio boys from a remarkable family taught the world to fly" (The Washington Post) and "captures the marvel of what the Wrights accomplished" (The Wall Street Journal). He draws on the extensive Wright family papers to profile not only the brothers but their sister, Katharine, without whom things might well have gone differently for them. Essential reading, this is "a story of timeless importance, told with uncommon empathy and fluency...about what might be the most astonishing feat mankind has ever accomplished...The Wright Brothers soars" (The New York Times Book Review).

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1476728755
• ISBN13: 9781476728759
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

My kind of book!

I though i knew about the brothers ,but this book had so much more that one does not know about the Europe shows and the family and Katherine .It was well written it will be on my shelf to point other friends toward a quality book! and the pics were the best!!

Excellent book!

This author came to me by recommendation and did not disappoint! The Wright Brothers is an excellent book.

Fascinating

The definitive biography on the Wright brothers as can only be told by David McCullough. To learn about the birth of modern aviation, and how these two brothers even started testing such a concept, is fascinating. There is also a small excerpt about Alexander Graham Bell visiting Orville Wright in the hospital after an incident. The inventor of the telephone meets the inventor of the first successful plane. And to think how far we've come just a century later. Give it a read. It's one of those great books that you'll be thankful you've read.

Remarkable and exciting account

This may be my favorite of McCullough's works. It is interesting, informative, and exciting. While the Wright brothers may be a familiar topic to many, this is the best and most interesting account I have read. It shows the challenges faced in a way I never considered, and the innovation and problem solving explained shows how amazing their achievements were. This is an excellent book, whether you are a history lover or not.

The Wright Brothers

This is a wonderful As always so well researched. Love those boys....

Wright Brothers is an excellent book for a long cold winter's day.

I enjoyed reading about these two brothers and their persistence in researching and reading about flying and their observations of birds flying. They seem to get along well and I am not finished with this book that I can hardly wait to learn more about their lives.