Eddie Rickenbacker
An American Hero in the Twentieth Century
Published on 26. August 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
720 pages
978-0-8018-8972-1 (ISBN)
Description
Eddie Rickenbacker epitomized the American spirit in the twentieth century. Daring, skilled, and rugged-moving fast and defying death-he drove race cars in the early days of the automobile, then flew canvas-over-wooden-frame aeroplanes in the Great War, downing twenty-six enemy flyers and emerging at war's end as the nation's ace of aces. Only Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing and the much-decorated Sgt. Alvin York emerged from that struggle as equally lauded American heroes. Failing as an automobile maker after the war, Rickenbacker returned to aviation, joined Eastern Airlines in 1934, and quickly reached the top of the corporate ladder. With the start of World War II, he took on special missions to theaters of combat, surviving twenty-one days adrift on a small rubber raft after his plane went down at sea. But the seemingly indestructible Eddie did not thrive well under the new competitive conditions in the postwar airline industry. Despite having built Eastern into a major carrier, he departed the company under pressure in 1963. W. David Lewis's biography of Rickenbacker reveals both the achievements and the vulnerability of this quintessential American hero.
Rickenbacker embodied what was new, exciting, and romantic about the country in the postwar years. His poignant story also sheds light on the ephemerality of American success and the fragility of celebrity. Capturing Rickenbacker's life in rich and vivid detail, W. David Lewis has written the definitive biography of America's ace of aces.
Rickenbacker embodied what was new, exciting, and romantic about the country in the postwar years. His poignant story also sheds light on the ephemerality of American success and the fragility of celebrity. Capturing Rickenbacker's life in rich and vivid detail, W. David Lewis has written the definitive biography of America's ace of aces.
Reviews / Votes
This well-written and well-researched biography tells the life story of one of America's greatest, most widely-recognized, and controversial airmen. Skyways 2005 Mr. Lewis' research, 15 years of it, is meticulous, showing the beauty of how fact-based reality can top fiction for excitement, irony and tragedy. Mr. Lewis has painted a balanced, complete picture of an extremely complex man. It's obvious the author has a love for his subject, but this is not hagiography: All aspects of Rickenbacker's personality are laid on the table. Washington Times 2006 Lewis is comprehensive about his subject. Booklist 2005 A riveting read-certainly the best telling of the Rickenbacker story we are ever likely to have. Airways 2006 Makes for an avid story not just of Rickenbacker and his world, but of an evolving transportation industry. California Bookwatch 2006 Lewis provides readers with the definitive biography of this extraordinary man. Register of the Kentucky Historical Society 2005 This book will give a whole new generation of readers insights into a truly unique American character. The Western Front Association 2006 Lewis's intent is to replace Rickenbacker's self-promoting, ghost-written autobiographies with a reliable scholarly life. Journal of American History 2006 Lewis has given us an unabashedly individual and heroic story from the heart of our era's passion for motorized speed. Technology and Culture 2007 [Lewis] has compiled the definitive biography of Eddie Rickenbacker, an often forgotten American hero and entrepreneur. Exhaustively researched and well written, Lewis's study chronicles the life and achievements of Rickenbacker from his humble beginnings as the son of Swiss immigrants through his rise to heroic military veteran and founding father of American auto racing and airline travel. H-War, H-Net Reviews 2006More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Baltimore, MD
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
45 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder
45 Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 230 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
1002 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8018-8972-1 (9780801889721)
DOI
10.56021/9780801882449
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
Book
02/2006
Johns Hopkins University Press
€61.00
Article not available for order
Person
Until his death in September 2007, W. David Lewis was a Distinguished University Professor at Auburn University.
Content
Prologue. A Boy and His Flying Machine
1. Starting Line
2. Ignition
3. Acceleration
4. Full Throttle
5. Shifting Gears
8. A Matter of Luck
9. Climax
10. Homecoming
11. Domestic Front
12. Frustrations
13. Comeback
14. Apex
15. Pivot
16. Call to Duty
17. Pacific Mission
18. New Mandate
19. Anticipating Victory
20. Turbulence and Descent
21. End Game
Epilogue. In the Arena
Acknoldgments
Notes
Essay on Primary Sources
Index
1. Starting Line
2. Ignition
3. Acceleration
4. Full Throttle
5. Shifting Gears
8. A Matter of Luck
9. Climax
10. Homecoming
11. Domestic Front
12. Frustrations
13. Comeback
14. Apex
15. Pivot
16. Call to Duty
17. Pacific Mission
18. New Mandate
19. Anticipating Victory
20. Turbulence and Descent
21. End Game
Epilogue. In the Arena
Acknoldgments
Notes
Essay on Primary Sources
Index