But "Herr Lilienthal" did not only provide an explanation of birdflight, he was also a powerful motivator. His brother, Gustaf, writes about Otto's unconditional dedication to his dream - spending all his finances and energy into experiments and his flying machines. If you are an engineer in search of a vision - read this book !

Otto Lilienthal was a German engineer whose passion was flight. He died on August 9, 1896, after a gliding accident the day before. Just before his death, he said, "Sacrifices must be made."

This is his book. It was read by virtually all of the original aviation pioneers. The American aviation pioneers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, who [Orville] made their first successful powered flight on December 17, 1903, considered him their hero. Lilienthal studied birds closely, and from them he learned how they change the dihedral and curvature of their wings in flight, in order to conform to the conditions of the ocean of air in which they swam. The Wrights learned from him, and warped the wings of their craft in flight to bank and turn.

We are justified in calling Lilienthal the Father of Gliding Experiments--perhaps even the Father of Aviation. Next time you lift off in a jetliner, it would not be amiss if you thought of this man who literally gave his life for his dream of flight.

Birdflight as the Basis of Aviation was first published in 1891, and this, the 2001 edition, is an unabridged copy of the original, complete with Lilienthal's own diagrams and formulae, and with a Preface written in 1911 by A.W. Isenthal, who translated the original into English after Otto's death. Like the Wright brothers, Otto was assisted in his work by his brother Gustave, who died in 1933. Some of this book was written by Gustave.

This is truly a remarkable volume. It represents Lilienthal's life work and is a compilation of the results of the numerous experiments made by the brothers. Although some of Lilienthal's calculations have been improved upon since this book was written, his work was the first light to pierce the darkness of ignorance on what has since become the science of aerodynamics. Today's hang gliding enthusiasts owe him a great debt of gratitude.

The art of photography was developed in France circa 1839, and thus this book contains several photographs of Lilienthal gliding in his light, unpowered aircraft.

If you are an aviation enthusiast, of whatever age or experience, this is a book you will want to add to your library.

Joseph Pierre

Otto holds that "The true visage of every true god is the visage of a world." In the second part he sets about discovering the form or visage of Dionysus. This he brilliantly lays out in chapters dealing with every aspect of the god. Chapters include: The Vine, The Somber Madness, Dionysus and the Element of Moisture, Dionysus and the Women, and Dionysus and Apollo. I will not attempt to recount his conclusions. Get the book and read them in Otto's lapidary language. Don't be put off from reading this book if you don't know Greek. While there are a fair number of untransliterated words, you can understand the meaning of the sentences from the context. However, be aware that this is not "lite" reading but a serious study that requires and will repay thought. The book itself is a handsome, sturdy paperback with glued signatures.

I have only read the second part. Ottos description and interpretation of the myths surrounding Dionysus is poetic and, and at times borders on the sublime. His impact is emotional as well as intellectual, and I came away feeling that I knew the God of whom he writes. This must say something for both the passion of the author for his subject and the skill and sympathy of the translator.

The book is well (exhaustively ?) documented. Only one thing was irksome. Reference is constantly made to words from the original Greek using greek characters with no transposition into english characters (for a non-classically trained person such as myself). While the commentary surrounding these texts usually explains their meaning and impact, I have had to learn the Greek alphabet and buy a classical greek dictionary (Langenscheidt) to verify and fully understand the commentary. Even so, the book is otherwise beautifully accessible for a lay person such as myself.

This is a book for anyone who has or would like to cultivate a special Friend of the Heart. I'll treasure this book as I treasure her special friendship. "My Friend, I thank my God in all of my remembrance of you, and praise Him for the way He shows His love to me through friends like you."

This a perfect address book for home use as it's size and weight make it impractical for traveling. Besides it looks great on a desk! The book is sturdy yet the pages easily open on the spiral binding. I can't think of a better address book for a fun-loving, free-spirited person. What a delight!