Synopses & Reviews
It was a dangerous game - but for a resolute few the lure was irresistible.
When in 1904 the Wright brothers stayed aloft for more than five minutes, nobody paid them much attention. But over the next couple of decades, beginning with flyers like Bleriot, Farman, Roe, Quimby, and Rogers, aviators began to push the limits of the possible, and their exploits caught the imagination of a public looking for sensation.
In Undaunted, Spencer Dunmore tells the thrilling story of these dramatic and romantic characters. They were glamorous figures in an exciting new time, an astonishing era in which long-distance aviators were the crown princes and princesses of the technological age and their flights were major sporting events. A breathless public studied their every move, newspapers all over the world bore their photographs, and crowds lined the streets as they drove by.
When Charles Lindbergh landed in Paris in 1927, he instantly became the most admired man in the world. Alcock and Brown, Amelia Earhart, Amy Johnson, Howard Hughes, and a host of others, many now forgotten, grabbed a share of his glory. To make a record-breaking flight in the golden age of aviation was to gain fame and, with luck, fortune too. The risks were high Ð few of the pioneers lived to old age Ð but for the mavericks, eccentrics, romantics, and visionaries in this book, the adventure was worth it.
About the Author
Spencer Dunmores first foray into non-fiction writing, in 1991, resulted in the critically acclaimed bestseller
Reap the Whirlwind: The Untold Story of 6 Group, Canadas Bomber Force of World War II, which he co-wrote with William Carter, Ph.D. This was followed in 1994 by the equally successful
Wings for Victory: The Remarkable Story of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada. Dunmores passionate love of flying and of a good story were evident long before, however, in his very popular fiction. His first novel,
Bomb Run, was an instant hit, and a string of novels followed, including
Tower of Strength,
Collision,
Final Approach, and
No Holds Barred.
Squadron, a story collection, is his most recent work of fiction. His works have been translated into many languages and published in more than fifteen countries.
Spencer Dunmore lives in Burlington, Ontario.