Who was M. Santos-Dumont? Any guesses? I didn't know either until I read this wonderfully charming history of one of the most flamboyant early pioneers of aviation. Santos-Dumont was balloonist who invented the rudimentary controls necessary to create powered, and navigable, airships. Today, a blimp hovering over the Sunday football game isn't a rareity, but it was Santos-Dumont who made such steadycam shots possible.
In Wings of Madness Paul Hoffman portrays just what a character Santos-Dumont was. This very approachable popular history is a biography not just of the man, but of the early aviation scene in general. One really gets a sense of the excitement, and the wonder, that must have taken hold of Paris as this first "aeronaut" took to the skies and rounded the Eiffel Tower winning 100,000 francs in the process. But one also gets a sense of just how troubled Santos-Dumont was. Never comfortable in crowds, but craving attention and noteriety, he was a conflicted genius. Hoffman's words truly make the subject come alive.
As a history, Hoffman has done the English reading world a great service. Santos-Dumont, hero of Brazil, remains largely unknown outside his home country. This fact is a shame, as his work inspired a generation of European inventors to help perfect the science of aviation. Anyone interested in the early 20th century, science, or aviation owes it to themselves to take a look at this work.
- S
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