Boys' Books, Boys' Dreams, And the Mystique of Flight

by Erisman, Fred

• ISBN13: 9780875653303
• ISBN10: 0875653308
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-10-30
• Publisher: Texas Christian Univ Pr

Summary

"Boys' aviation series books from 1910-1950 shaped at least two generations' view of aircraft and American life. From the earliest days of aviation to those of spaceflight, they instilled a vision of flight both romantic and progressive. They described a future in which technology and humanity are complementary and offered flight as a way of bettering all mankind. In this first comprehensive study of the more than forty boys' aviation series, Erisman reveals the part played by the books and their writers in spurring the American nation's fascination with flying. It is a noteworthy piece of social and literary history that sheds new light on how popular art can transform technological progress into cultural idealism and reform."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	ix
Preface	xi
Acknowledgments	xix
Setting the Stage: Technology and the Series Book	1	(28)
Birdmen and Boys, 1905--1915	29	(36)
Aees and Combat: World War I and After, 1915--1935	65	(40)
Interlude: Charles A. Lindbergh and Atlantic Flight, 1927--1929	105	(20)
The Golden Age, I: The Lindbergh Progeny, 1927--1939	125	(40)
The Golden Age, II: The Air-Minded Society, 1930--1939	165	(50)
World War II and Modern Aviation, 1939--1945	215	(50)
Aftermath: A-Bombs, Rockets, and Space Flight, 1945--1950	265	(38)
Bibliography	303	(28)
Index	331