A sad story about a strange and troubled man. I first heard of him when I lived in Brazil; there he is lionized, his picture is (or was) on one of the large currency denominations, and all Brazilians are sure that he flew before the Wright brothers did. This book is a sympathetic examination of his very real achievements (none of which took place in Brazil), but also puts the lie to the myth. His was the first powered flight that was witnessed by anyone; the Wright brothers kept their work secret for a couple of years.

There are some great pictures in the book of his balloons, dirigibles and aeroplanes.

Release planned for Wednesday, August 20, 2003 at Starbucks in Center Square (1500 Market St.) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA. [Note: Release occurred as scheduled.]