The Impossible Factory: The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's...

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Josh Dean

The Impossible Factory

Name: The Impossible Factory
Price: 74.95 AUD
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ISBN: 9781524745516

The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's Innovation...

Josh Dean

$74.95

Hardback

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English

Dutton
19 May 2026

History; History of the Americas; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Military history; Aerospace & aviation technology; Astronautics

The extraordinary true story of Lockheed Martin’s “Skunk Works”—the radical innovation hub that designed the greatest airplanes of the twentieth century—and the visionary who made it all possible

""A kerosene-soaked masterclass in what extreme innovation looks, feels, and even smells like."" —New York Times bestselling author Ashlee Vance

It began with a humble warehouse building in Burbank, California, and a charismatic young engineer named Kelly Johnson. In 1938, Johnson, who was then freshly out of the University of Michigan’s school of engineering, got the idea for a small, agile, disruptive engineering shop—one that could help America’s war machine innovate more quickly. By 1943, with the U.S. now in World War II and desperate for new technology, “Advanced Development Projects”—later nicknamed the “Skunk Works”—was born.

During Johnson’s forty-seven years at Lockheed Martin, the Skunk Works developed at least half a dozen planes that would have been the capstone achievement of anyone else’s career. There was the P-38 Lighting, which outdueled Axis pilots over Europe and the Pacific. The XP-80, America’s first ever fighter jet, which did indeed help the Allies win World War II. The Constellation, the first passenger plane with a pressurized cabin, revolutionized commercial air travel. The U-2 spy plane, which could reach an astonishing altitude of 70,000 feet, enabling it to fly dangerous covert missions in Soviet airspace during the height of the Cold War. And perhaps most famous of all, the A-12/SR-71 Blackbird, one of the most unusual, and iconic, planes ever designed.

But the planes were only part of Kelly Johnson’s legacy. There was also his management style, which would come to shape organizations for decades to come. Under him, the Skunk Works’ structure—flat management, no red tape, extraordinary speed—quickly became the model for nurturing innovation, and eventually would fuel the nimble startups of Silicon Valley. Half a century before Mark Zuckerberg coined the motto “move fast and break things,” Kelly Johnson was living that mantra—and at the same time helping the Department of Defense secure the fate of the free world.

By: Josh Dean
Imprint: Dutton
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 159mm, Spine: 40mm
Weight: 669g
ISBN: 9781524745516
ISBN 10: 1524745510
Pages: 496
Publication Date: 19 May 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Josh Dean is a New York–based journalist, author, and podcaster. His work has appeared in Popular Science, GQ, Men’s Journal, Rolling Stone, and many other places. He is the cofounder of the acclaimed narrative podcast studio Campside Media, and the author of The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History, as well as Show Dog: The Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred.

Reviews for The Impossible Factory: The Remarkable True Story of Kelly Johnson and the Lockheed Skunk Works, America's Innovation Machine

“Josh Dean has delivered a kerosene-soaked masterclass in what extreme innovation looks, feels and even smells like. This story could not be more timely as the U.S. tries to revive its industrial base and rekindle its inventive spirit.” —Ashlee Vance, New York Times bestselling author of When The Heavens Went On Sale ""I absolutely loved The Impossible Factory. It's a page-turner that revelas who Kelly Johnson was as a person and how he and the brilliant team he assembled at Lockheed Skunk Works were able to design the aircraft that shaped the twentieth century. We learn about the evolution of planes over seventy years and meet test pilots and engineers, military leaders and politicians, collaborators and successors – all people essential to building the world we live in today. A must-read book."" —Katherine Sharp Landdeck, author of The Women with Silver Wings ""An immersive account of Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works and its visionary founder, Kelly Johnson. The Impossible Factory brings to life the flat management and speed-focused approach that would become a precursor to the ‘move fast and break things’ mantra of Silicon Valley. Josh tells this epic story of the power of American ingenuity with style, making you feel like you're working with Johnson on the 20th century's signature aircraft.” —New York Times bestselling author Kevin Maurer “An engaging life of an inventor and aviation pioneer with an astonishing, if little-known, roster of accomplishments. … A key figure in the annals of aviation technology, Johnson well merits this detail-packed life.” —Kirkus Reviews “Johnson’s legacy with projects such as the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft to Area 51 will interest a wide audience, but it is the aviation enthusiasts who will truly relish this extensive history of Skunk Works and Kelly Johnson.” —Booklist “This improbable story of how impossible machines reshaped modern warfare and technology itself is highly recommended for readers of military history, aviation, and American innovation."" —Library Journal