{"product_id":"flying-pianos-the-eccentric-birth-of-british-aviation","title":"Flying Pianos: The Eccentric Birth of British Aviation","description":"\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFrom string-and-canvas deathtraps to sleek metal machines – relive the dawn of British aviation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eGripping, exuberant, racy and deeply researched\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e, here is the amazing tale of the flying machines.' Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eThe World: A Family History\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the first few decades of the twentieth century British aviators went from gliding a handful of yards to crossing the Atlantic. Journeying from perilous ‘cotton-and-hope’ prototypes to the Spitfire, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFlying Pianos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e surveys the transformation of flight from genteel gentleman’s hobby to terrifying military force.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCharles Spicer meets the cast of colourful characters who helped Britain take flight. There’s Hugh ‘Boom’ Trenchard, eccentric ‘father’ of the RAF; the glamorous Harriet Quimby – journalist, screenwriter and record-breaking pilot; and Grahame Christie, passionate aviator, spy and uneasy acquaintance of Hermann Göring. Charting the soaring highs and catastrophic lows of this technological revolution, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eFlying Pianos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e tells the remarkable tale of how Britain took to the skies.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e***\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e‘Vivid, meticulous yet expansive.’ \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eClare Mulley, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eAgent Zo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'Check in, get aboard, fasten your seatbelt, and prepare for a marvellous flight and a terrific read.'\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003e David Cannadine, author of\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eVictorious Century\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e'Fun, anecdote-rich and full of compelling characters.' \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eS.C. Gwynne, author of\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold a-text-italic\"\u003eEmpire of the Summer Moon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Goldsboro Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57656692179317,"sku":"978-1836432654","price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0733\/4900\/5606\/files\/cb6d1ec1-d079-4cf9-b07f-6b7f8f1c4e42.jpg?v=1792082372","url":"https:\/\/goldsborobooks.com\/products\/flying-pianos-the-eccentric-birth-of-british-aviation","provider":"Goldsboro Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}