The Great Dirigibles by John Toland
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Book Reviews of The Great Dirigibles
Book Review: A well researched work explaining airship disasters
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first book I have ever come across that painstakingly details the demise of airships. Toland has recreated conversations and personal details from countless sources and testimony. Each accident and triumph is covered in detail. I loved this book. It is a must-read for any airship enthusiast.Book Review: Excellent introduction to the great airships of the past.
Summary: 4 Stars
Most books on airships are written by specialists, experts, or those who had a part in the development of the great dirigibles. John Toland is a interesting exception, an extreamly accomplished author who turned his attention to the subject. This book is a re-titled (and only very slightly re-edited) version of his book 'Ships in the Sky' from the fifties. Due to the original publication date, he was able to interview many of the principle figures in the stories, most of which took place in the twenties and early thirties. Most everyone is familiar with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, but this book will introduce them to many other facinating accounts. He covers the R101 disaster, which was the British avaiation equivalent to the Titanic. Also included is a excellent account of the Italian 'Italia' drama at the North Pole (get Wilber Cross's 'Disaster at the Pole' if who want a book entirely dedicated to that event). Also covered is the United States Shennendoah, Akron and Macon crashes. Perhaps the highlight is a minute by minute (more like second by second) account of the Hindenburg crash.Book Review: NOT JUST THE HINDENBURG
Summary: 4 Stars
This is one of a relatively few books covering the aviation history of the dirigible, or rigid airship. In the last century it was pioneered by the Germans, then experimented with by other nations. It ended with the Germans as well when the Hindenburg exploded in front of newsreel cameras. Most books look only at the Hindenburg disaster, ignoring the crashes of the R101, Akron, Shenandoah and others. Toland tells the story of them all, including accounts of ten disasters. It will soon become clear to any reader that the airship had more 'tragedy' than 'triumph' of course. It is a wonder they lasted as long as they did.
The only fault I found with this book is that Toland devotes all his efforts to telling individual stories. These are necessary and interesting, but more attention could have been given to other aspects of the matter, such as parallel aviation developments or political events.
Book Review: a short overview of John Toland's "The Great Dirigibles"
Summary: 4 Stars
Toland is one of America's great narrative historians. His book The Great Dirigibles, Their Triumphs and Disasters (formerly titled ships in the sky, The story of the Great Dirigibles)is sure to please even the most knowledgeable airship reader. Toland investigates the origins of airships and includes many of the pre-Zeppelin era narratives. The book is full of first hand accounts and includes an excellent index and an acknowledgement section (which will be of interest to serious readers). The strength of the book lies in the fact that it is not another re-telling of the Hindenburg disaster. The Norge, the Italia, the Shenandoah and other airships get equal treatment. There are also over two dozen pictures with captions. This is an easy to read book that will thrill the novice and please the serious studentsof airship history.Book Review: A Compelling History of Early Flight
Summary: 4 Stars
John Toland's dated but compelling history tells the story of Zeppelins and dirigibles during the early 20th Century by retelling several moments of triumph and disaster, from the experiments of Solomon Andrews in 1865 to the crash of the Hindenburg in 1937. The narratives stick closely to the source material and provides only descriptions and dialogue gleaned from interviews and eyewitness accounts. The book's age is apparent through its stylistic quirks, such as Toland's annoying tendency to refer to the few women in the book by the names of their husbands. These complaints aside, "The Great Dirigibles" successfully evokes both the romance and danger of lighter than air ships during the early age of flight.
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