Skylark: A Natural and Cultural History

by Howard Mansfield

Book Overview

Harry Atwood was among the most flamboyant of the celebrated and often foolhardy pioneers of American aviation. Part daredevil, inventor, entrepreneur, and con artist, he became renowned for his... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874518911
• ISBN13: 9780874518917
• Release Date: January 1999
• Publisher: University Press of New England
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.22 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Fantastic book! I give 4 and a half stars............

I would have given 5 stars if only..........the Author had given us even more details about Atwood's flying, inventions and more documentation (patent records, court records, stock market records, etc.) to support his research. It is anyway a great book considering also how difficult it must have been to find material about such an interesting and "slippery" character. Being an aircraft builder myself, I would have also liked to learn more about the process he used in the construction of his "composite" airplanes and if any artifact has survived the inventor. Buy the book, you won't regret it.

A high-flying bio

A tour de force of research and provocative writing. This how history should read and be taught. Among the supposed saints and heroes there is plenty room for the occasional showman and rogue. That's what Harry Atwood was. Thanks Mr. Mansfield for a real pleasure of a biography.

Great research...fascinating story!

The story of Harry Atwood is a fascinating one. Mansfield tells tales of Atwoods adventures during the early days of aviation in a way that really takes you back to a different time. The meticulous research Mansfield did to write this book really shows in his liberal use of reports from local newspapers, living relatives, etc. If you enjoy flying, inventors or learning about interesting and eccentric people, read this book...you won't be disappointed!

Tremendous insight into the life of Harry Atwood.

As one of only 2 of his grandchildren to have personally met Harry, I was absolutely delighted to get so much new information on him. So much of his life was unknown until now, and this fills in much of that unknown. Kudos to Howard Mansfield for a marvelous book!

Review by a great grandson of Harry Atwood

As the great grandson of Harry Atwood, and the grandson of Katrina Atwood Copeland, I was amazed by the research and story told by this book. This book tells a story not only about one of the great airmen and inventors of the early days of aviation, but also the incredibly human tragedy caused by a man who lived in an impossible world of dreams and who walked out of his own life when that world collapsed around him. It is a story that will be told again I am sure, but perhaps never so well as Howard Mansfield has done for me.