The Zeppelin Story; The Life of Hugo Eckener
London: Allan Wingate, 1955. Presumed First U. K. Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xii, 13-239, [1] pages. Frontis illustration. Foreword by Philip Gibbs Illustrations. Cover has some wear and soiling. Dr. Hugo Eckener (10 August 1868 – 14 August 1954) was the manager of the Luftschiffbau Zeppelin during the inter-war years, and also the commander of the famous Graf Zeppelin for most of its record-setting flights, including the first airship flight around the world, making him the most successful airship commander in history. He was also responsible for the construction of the most successful type of airships of all time. An anti-Nazi who was invited to campaign as a moderate in the German presidential elections, he was blacklisted by that regime and eventually sidelined. Eckener was responsible for training most of Germany's airship pilots both during and after World War I. Despite his protestations, he was not allowed on operational missions due to his value as an instructor. Eckener survived World War II despite his disagreements with the Nazis. Sir Philip Armand Hamilton Gibbs KBE (1 May 1877 – 10 March 1962) was an English journalist and prolific author of books who served as one of five official British reporters during the First World War. In his foreword to this biography, Gibbs writes :This is the life story--intensely interesting--of a very gallant man who, like the boy Icarus himself, dared all things to achieve the victory of flight, which, in the case of airships, ended in heroic and tragic failure. Condition: Good.
Keywords: Graf Zeppelin, Hugo Eckener, Aviation, Lighter-than-Air, Airships, Dirigibles, Hindenburg, Air Disaster, Lakehurst, LZ3, Aerial Bombing, Transatlantic Flight, Lake Constance
[Book #77034]
Price: $60.00