I first read this exceptional book years ago - and then met its author, Tip Roseberry, a fine man and an accomplished historian/writer. Sometime later I wrote my own book on Curtiss, PENDULUM, THE STORY OF AMERICA'S THREE AVIATION PIONEERS, WILBUR WRIGHT, ORVILLE WRIGHT, AND GLENN CURTISS, THE HENRY FORD OF AVIATION, and in the process discovered several important unknowns about Curtiss, his partner, Alexander Graham Bell, and his relationship with Henry Ford which Roseberry never knew. Suffice to say that anyone studying the life of Curtiss should read both books - and will come away with a new, never-before-understood appreciation of this great man. In fact, since finishing PENDULUM I've learned more very startling and important things which has led me to write BELL AND CURTISS, HOW THE PARTNERSHIP OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL AND GLENN HAMMOND CURTISS LED TO THE FOUNDING OF THE AMERICAN AVIATION INDUSTRY, as yet unpublished. But the credit goes to Tip, who so spendid! ly began it all.

I received this book for my birthday in 1967, and after reading it through, I have gone back to it again and again over the years. In the course of using it for research in aviation history, I've discovered minor items that don't square with other sources, and further checking has confirmed more than a few errors. Overall, the book is an excellent synopsis of this exciting period in aviation history. It's refreshing to see a book that manages a semblance of balance between civilian and military aviation. If the book you're selling is a later edition with the errors corrected, it's a one-book treasury of information that has appeal for researchers, modelers, and aircraft restorers as well as people with a general interest in aviation. Even with the mistakes, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a readable overview of this period. As an aviation writer, I understand the effort that goes into a book like this, and congratulate Mr. Roseberry on a well-organized and illuminating exploration of the Golden Age of Aviation.