Empire of the Clouds

When Britain's Aircraft Ruled the World

James Hamilton-Paterson

$49.99

Hardback

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English

Faber & Faber
01 December 2011

History; British & Irish history; Industrialisation & industrial history; Aviation manufacturing industry; Aircraft: general interest

In 1945 Britain was the world's leading designer and builder of aircraft - a world-class achievement that was not mere rhetoric. And what aircraft they were. The sleek Comet, the first jet airliner. The awesome delta-winged Vulcan, an intercontinental bomber that could be thrown about the sky like a fighter. The Hawker Hunter, the most beautiful fighter-jet ever built and the Lightning, which could zoom ten miles above the clouds in a couple of minutes and whose pilots rated flying it as better than sex. Just what was it like to be alive in that marvellous post-war moment when innovative new British aircraft made their debut, and pilots were the rock stars of the age?

In this special fully illustrated and lavishly produced large format hardback edition James's text is joined by glorious photographs that precisely capture the elegance, excitement and genius of these extraordinary aircraft, and offer a behind the scenes glimpse into a lost world of pioneering design, engineering and the daring of a generation of test pilots.

By: James Hamilton-Paterson
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: Special edition
Dimensions: Height: 286mm, Width: 237mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 1.475kg
ISBN: 9780571278893
ISBN 10: 0571278892
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 December 2011
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Author Website: http://www.jdhp.net/

James Hamilton-Paterson is the author of Gerontius, winner of a Whitbread Prize; Seven-Tenths: The Sea and its Thresholds; Playing With Water; and most recently, of the wild comic trilogy Cooking With Fernet Branca, Amazing Disgrace and Rancid Pansies.