The Dominion of the Air: The Story of Aerial Navigation

The work traces ideas of human flight from early speculation to the invention and steady improvement of the balloon, charting experimental methods, materials, and inflation techniques. It recounts pioneering ascents and the exploits of notable aeronauts, describes scientific voyages that measured the atmosphere and reached record altitudes, and records accidents and tragedies that tested the craft. Later chapters follow efforts to render aerial craft navigable and the emergence of airships and early flying machines, examine military uses including communication and siege operations, and conclude with reflections on the constitution of the air and prospects for future aerial navigation.