Winkle
The Extraordinary Life of Britain's Greatest Pilot
Published on 16. January 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
544 pages
978-1-4059-3033-8 (ISBN)
Description
Discover the daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown - Britain's greatest-ever pilot
'Winkle Brown's astonishing adventures make for fascinating reading' SUNDAY TIMES
'[A] thumping great biography by Britain's leading aviation historian' DAILY MAIL, 'BOOK OF THE WEEK'
*MARITIME MEDIA AWARDS BEST BOOK NOMINEE*
--
Small in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there was more to Eric 'Winkle' Brown than met the eye.
From shooting down Luftwaffe bombers from the deck of a carrier in the Battle of the Atlantic and narrowly escaping death when his ship was torpedoed, to accumulating a never-to-be repeated litany of world records and firsts as a test pilot, his unparalleled flying career saw him take the controls of over four hundred different kinds of aircraft - more than any other pilot in history.
A rival to Chuck Yeager and hero to Neil Armstrong, by the time of his appearance on Desert Island Discs' 1000th episode Winkle had become a legend in his own lifetime, and by his death, a national treasure.
But despite his enormous fame, there have always been mysteries at the heart of Winkle's story.
Now, drawing on previously unseen documents and unfettered access to Winkle's own personal archive, Paul Beaver uncovers the complex and enigmatic man behind the legend - the real story of Britain's greatest pilot.
A story Winkle insisted could only be told after his death . . .
----------
'Compelling, fascinating and frequently jaw-dropping. A brilliant and revelatory biography' JAMES HOLLAND
'Beaver recounts the story of a man he regarded as a mentor in unshowy but fascinating detail, and restores a British hero to his rightful place' OBSERVER
'An excellent biography' PATRICK BISHOP, DAILY TELEGRAPH
'The extraordinary story [of] a fearless pilot and decorated war hero. Epic' THE HERALD
'A thrilling new biography' DAILY EXPRESS
'A thumping great biography of the flying ace who made Top Gun look tame ... enthralling' DAILY MAIL
'Riveting ... one of those must-read books, compelling and full of incidents that leave you gasping with surprise ... an incredible story' FLYER
'An incredible life ... Brown took a secret to the grave that makes his story all the more remarkable' THE SUN
'Winkle Brown's astonishing adventures make for fascinating reading' SUNDAY TIMES
'[A] thumping great biography by Britain's leading aviation historian' DAILY MAIL, 'BOOK OF THE WEEK'
*MARITIME MEDIA AWARDS BEST BOOK NOMINEE*
--
Small in stature but immense in reputation and talent, there was more to Eric 'Winkle' Brown than met the eye.
From shooting down Luftwaffe bombers from the deck of a carrier in the Battle of the Atlantic and narrowly escaping death when his ship was torpedoed, to accumulating a never-to-be repeated litany of world records and firsts as a test pilot, his unparalleled flying career saw him take the controls of over four hundred different kinds of aircraft - more than any other pilot in history.
A rival to Chuck Yeager and hero to Neil Armstrong, by the time of his appearance on Desert Island Discs' 1000th episode Winkle had become a legend in his own lifetime, and by his death, a national treasure.
But despite his enormous fame, there have always been mysteries at the heart of Winkle's story.
Now, drawing on previously unseen documents and unfettered access to Winkle's own personal archive, Paul Beaver uncovers the complex and enigmatic man behind the legend - the real story of Britain's greatest pilot.
A story Winkle insisted could only be told after his death . . .
----------
'Compelling, fascinating and frequently jaw-dropping. A brilliant and revelatory biography' JAMES HOLLAND
'Beaver recounts the story of a man he regarded as a mentor in unshowy but fascinating detail, and restores a British hero to his rightful place' OBSERVER
'An excellent biography' PATRICK BISHOP, DAILY TELEGRAPH
'The extraordinary story [of] a fearless pilot and decorated war hero. Epic' THE HERALD
'A thrilling new biography' DAILY EXPRESS
'A thumping great biography of the flying ace who made Top Gun look tame ... enthralling' DAILY MAIL
'Riveting ... one of those must-read books, compelling and full of incidents that leave you gasping with surprise ... an incredible story' FLYER
'An incredible life ... Brown took a secret to the grave that makes his story all the more remarkable' THE SUN
Reviews / Votes
An excellent biography * PATRICK BISHOP, DAILY TELEGRAPH * Beaver recounts the story of a man he regarded as a mentor in unshowy but fascinating detail, and restores a British hero to his rightful place * Observer * Superb * Daily Telegraph * The extraordinary story [of] a fearless pilot and decorated war hero ... epic * THE HERALD * Eric 'Winkle' Brown may not be a household name, but he certainly should be, and this thumping great biography by Britain's leading aviation historian deserves to put that right * DAILY MAIL 'BOOK OF THE WEEK' * Winkle Brown's astonishing adventures make for fascinating reading * Sunday Express * Riveting ... one of those must-read books, compelling and full of incidents that leave you gasping with surprise ... an incredible story * Flyer * An incredible life ... Brown took a secret to the grave that makes his story all the more remarkable * The Sun *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 43 mm
Weight
408 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4059-3033-8 (9781405930338)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
06/2023
Penguin Books Ltd
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Paul Beaver knew Eric Brown for nearly 40 years. In fact, Eric initially inspired Paul's writing career, offering him expert advice on aircraft carriers and naval aviation for Ark Royal, his first book. The collaboration later included Eric's foreword for Paul's best-selling Spitfire People. As a well as being author, Paul has been a war reporter, journalist with Jane's, a Parliamentary advisor and served for twenty-seven years in the Territorial Army rising to the rank of Colonel in the Army Air Corps (V).