Falling Upwards How We Took to the Air
- 作者
- 出版社 Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- 出版时间 2013年10月
- ISBN 9780307379665
- 定价 261.60
内容简介
**KirkusBestBooksoftheYear(2013)****TimeMagazine10TopNonfictionBooksof2013****TheNewRepublicBestBooksof2013**Inthisheart-liftingchronicle，RichardHolmes，authorofthebest-sellingTheAgeofWonder，followsthepioneergenerationofballoonaeronauts，thedaringandenigmaticmenandwomenwhoriskedtheirlivestotaketotheair(orfallintothesky).Whytheydidit，whattheircontemporariesthoughtofthem，andhowtheirflightsrevealedthesecretsofourplanetisacompellingadventurethatonlyHolmescouldtell.HisaccountsoftheearlyAnglo-Frenchballoonrivalries，thecrazyfireworkflightsofthebeautifulSophieBlanchard，thelong-distancevoyagesoftheAmericanentrepreneurJohnWiseandFrenchphotographerFelixNadararedramaticandexhilarating.HolmesdocumentsaswelltheballoonsusedtoobservethehorrorsofmodernbattleduringtheCivilWar(includingaflighttakenbyGeorgeArmstrongCuster);thelegendarytaleofatleastsixty-sevenmannedballoonsthatescapedfromParis(thefirstsuccessfulcivilianairliftinhistory)duringthePrussiansiegeof1870-71;thehigh-altitudeexploitsofJamesGlaisher(whorose)sevenmilesabovetheearthwithoutoxygen，helpingtoestablishthenewscienceofmeteorology);andhowMaryShelley，EdgarAllanPoe，andJulesVernefelttheimaginativeimpactofflightandallowedittosoarintheirwork.Aseamlessfusionofhistory，art，science，biography，andthemetaphysicsofflights，FallingUpwardsexplorestheinterplaybetweentechnologyandimagination.Andthroughthestrangeallureofthesegreatballoonists，itoffersamasterlyportraitofhumanendeavor，recklessness，andvision.(With24pagesofcolorillustrations，andblack-and-whiteillustrationsthroughout.)
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