Erik Schmidt is a senior marketing writer and idea-maker, with a professional mindset. He has a graduate degree in creative nonfiction. A lover of history and aviation, this book started out as a grad-school thesis.
"""This is a genuinely fascinating and often compelling book. I like Erik Schmidt's honesty and his attention to detail. ""-- ""War History Online"" ''Well-written, thought provoking.''-- ""Aeroplane Monthly"" ''Highly recommended for aviation fans...''-- ""Detail Scale View"" ''If you are attracted to the idea of a book that attempts to explore, lucidly, the Nazi period German serviceman's mindset and which uses Hartmann as its fulcrum, then this might appeal.''-- ""The Aviation Historian"" ''What sets this book apart is the in depth analysis of who Hartmann was and whether his reputation is apt and why he was and still is held in such high regard. It's a fascinating book and I highly recommend it.''-- ""Aviation Enthusiast Book Club"" ""I am jealous. This is a wonderfully different--and wonderfully written--work. Schmidt is no fawning fanboy of the 'Greatest Ace of All Time.' Instead, he is a sympathetic and insightful researcher who has produced an engrossing and thoughtfully wandering analysis of the multi-dimensional Hartmann that is unlike, and better than, anything ever done. Get this one.""--Jay Stout, author of Vanished Hero and Unsung Eagles ""A fascinating insight into the making of a flying legend ... exposes through rigorous analysis how myths are made, and sometimes used, to excuse one of the most evil mass slaughters in history.""-- ""RAF News"" ""Portrays a complex human ... Black Tulip does much to fill in the backstory of the greatest fighter ace."" -- ""Flight Journal"""