Race through the Skies

From National Book Award winner Martin W. Sandler, a fascinating look at the week that brought aviation fever to the world

In 1903, the Wright brothers made three brief flights, and no one was there to watch them. Six years later, Wilbur Wright traveled to Europe to evangelicize about aviation and raise money for patents--and the world got aviation fever. That summer, a group of champagne companies organized the first ever international air meet in Rheims, France. They knew they could throw a great party and sell a lot of champagne. They didn't know that this single week would change the course of aviation history. Through remarkable photographs, firsthand accounts, and lively narrative, Marty Sandler tells the story of how the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne marked the public introduction to flight.