Up in the Clouds

Artificial wings, daring experiments and balloon ascents give shape to the wish to rise above the earth. R. M. Ballantyne traces those efforts in a popular account that brings together early flight schemes, explanations of physical forces and descriptions of travel through the air. His opening moves from stories of unsuccessful winged flights to the problem of lifting a human body, showing how curiosity could produce both ingenious ideas and dangerous mistakes.

The balloon passages combine scientific observation with close attention to the view. In one account, Mr Coxwell manages a rapid descent through cloud by releasing ballast while his companion takes instrument readings and watches fields, roads and towns below. Changes in sunlight and moisture become practical concerns for the men aloft. Readers interested in early aviation will find a period account of flight as both an experiment and an unfamiliar way of seeing the landscape.