Tom D. Crouch

A complete biography of the Wright Brothers, with a fleshing out of their early years, the story of their indomitable father, the bishop, and of their mother, from whom they inherited their mechanical skills. The chronicle of two brothers who, together at every step, changed technology forever and expanded the world. Brilliant, self-trained engineers, the Wright brothers had a unique blend of native talent, character, and family experience that perfectly suited them to the task of invention but left them ill-prepared to face a world of skeptics, rivals, and officials. Using a treasure trove of Wright family correspondence and diaries, Tom Crouch skillfully weaves the story of the airplane's invention into the drama of a unique and unforgettable family. He shows us exactly how and why these two obscure bachelors from Dayton, Ohio, were able to succeed where so many better-trained, better-financed rivals had failed.… (mere)

To honor the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' history-making flight at Kitty Hawk, National Geographic Books and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (SNASM) present this official companion volume to this October's SNASM exhibition of the same name.
illustrated look at the lives of the brothers and their world-changing invention…it was invention, engineering, and the new possibilities of manned flight that obsessed them…explain the Wrights’ achievements and the moments of their great successes, and they paint a masterful personal portrait of the two sometimes erratic, genius personalities (never married, the brothers lived together all their lives), and, most important, the world of pioneering aviation in which they operated.… (mere)