Falling Upwards
Book description
'Nominally a history of the hot air balloon, 'Falling Upwards' is really a history of hope and fantasy - and the quixotic characters who disobeyed that most fundamental laws of physics and gave humans flight' New Republic, Best Books of 2013
CHOSEN AS BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR IN **…
Why read it?
1 author picked Falling Upwards as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
I was already a fan of Holmes’ The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science, and there was some overlap in this book, in the best sense—since what could be more wondrous or terrifying than humans taking flight for the first time. Falling Upwards became the definitive history for me while I researched my book for younger readers. It captures the human experience of flight in a lively, character-rich narrative with philosophical heft, straddling—as did early ballooning—science and spectacle. It’s an elegant, rollicking story built over a scaffold of sound scholarship. I…
From Deborah's list on being lighter than air and above it all.
Want books like Falling Upwards?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Falling Upwards.
Browse books like Falling Upwards
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in metaphysics, Paris, and presidential biography?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about metaphysics, Paris, and presidential biography.