Wilbur and Orville

A Biography of the Wright Brothers

By: Fred Howard

Narrated by: Larry McKeever

The Wrights' longest flight in 1903 covered 852 feet and lasted 59 seconds. In 1905, Wilbur flew 24 miles in 38 minutes and the issue was no longer how to fly but how to cash in. Their effort to exploit their invention is a suspense story of the best kind; their voyage into flight and into American history is a gripping tale from takeoff to landing.©1998 Fred Howard (P)1989 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Commendably, Howard describes the technical features of their work in a fashion quite comprehensible to lay readers. A fine job." ( Publishers Weekly)

Superb account of the Wright's lives an impact

I'm at a loss where to begin to describe how much I enjoyed this book.

Interesting but not hard to put down...

I applaud Fred Howard's book for its research and its tenacity. However, it took me a long, long time to get through it. What drudgery. I love history, and am sure I learned a lot by reading this tome. However, the man I admire the most is narrator Larry McKeever. How he managed to read this entire work is a marvel. I recommend this biography to anyone who has an absolute fascination with flight, with Dayton, with Kitty Hawk, etc., but be forewarned that it will take you places you'll wonder why you went. I used to read The Doctors Mayo to put me to sleep during the ten years of my advanced education. This book would have worked even better.

Well researched, written, and presented

Well researched and documented. Not just about the Wrights but also the many hangers-ons and pretenders that sought the glory and fame without having done the creative research and the dangerous development. Not light reading, but if you’re interested in how science and engineering work in practice, with ups and downs while the world continues on around us, it’s a great read.