Books

The Wright Brothers

David McCullough documents the Wright brothers’ engineering triumph. 

The book does justice to its story, and the story is every bit as good as one would hope, given the technical and cultural impact of flight. 

I especially liked the parts about their time in Kitty Hawk, which was more or less wilderness at that point. 

McCullough also does a great job dispelling the myth that the Wright brothers were simple mechanics who tinkered their way to success. They were serious businessmen, serious engineers, and serious scientists. They also possessed a species of focus and drive that we now associate with successful founders. 

I never realized how slow the world was to accept the reality of the Wright Flyer. It was such a different world back then. 

Strongly recommended. This and Bill Bryson’s 1927 book would make a great one-two punch. 

Five stars for its class.