Published by University of Nebraska Press
“Enthralling…this would be a great steampunk novel were it not entirely factual.” Anchorage Daily News
“A suspenseful narrative” Lincoln Journal Star
“The book’s character development moves like a novel’s while relying on the historical record… a riveting account of turn-of-the-century America and the vibrant personalities that fueled its discoveries.” Foreword Reviews
“Exceptional research and clear writing” Air Power History
In his day Walter Wellman (1858–1934) was one of America’s most famous men. To his contemporaries, he seemed like a character from a Jules Verne novel. He led five expeditions in search of the North Pole, two by dogsled and three by dirigible airship, and in 1910 made the first attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean by air—which the self-styled expert on aerial warfare saw as a mission of world peace. He endured hardships, cheated death on more than one occasion, and surrounded himself with a team of assistants as eccentric and audacious as he was. Keep reading.
David L. Bristow 