The wonder of flight has long captured the human imagination. In this beguiling history -- ranging from the first aircraft to astronauts and beyond -- David Darling tells the stories of the colorful adventurers whose wonder has translated into bizarre contraptions, magnificent achievements and, sometimes, startling folly.

Discover outrageous attempts to fly like a bird and the secret military planes that never made it off the ground - including the "flying pancake" and the plane with thirty wings. Meet Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, before disappearing...