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Falling Upwards: How We Took to the Air: An Unconventional History of Ballooning by Richard Holmes
uberbutter's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Have you ever been sitting around and thought "Gee, I wish I knew more about the history of ballooning...?" If so, then boy, do I have a book for you! This 448 page book delves into all things ballooning, from the materials used over the centuries, their uses (adventuring, exploration, research, war, etc), to the most famous of ballooners (hurry! Name your three favorite ballooners! 🤣). It was a fascinating history book and Richard Holmes put a lot of research and passion into this book. But I'm not going to lie, I sometimes zoned out because that's a lot of info about hot air balloons! I always find joy in learning new info and this book did just that. If you're into history and want to learn about a rarely written subject, Falling Upwards may be the book for you!
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
The spirit of discovery and the human drama of hot air ballooning enthral in this look at the history and people involved in ballooning. I had no idea about most of it so was fascinated to learn about the first attempts to be airborne, the pioneers of scientific study and the entertainers, the balloons in the Paris siege, trying to reach the North Pole, the daring "mariners of the upper atmosphere"... Richard Holmes is a very entertaining storyteller and chronicler of this period before heavier-than air flight.
jacqui_des's review against another edition
4.0
An absolutely fascinating read about the history of ballooning.
Memorable Quotes
Memorable Quotes
"Nature was sublime – and God a sublime Engineer."
"Hugo announced that he would willingly put on his ‘prophetic wings’ for his reckless old friend. The concept of Flight was democratic, it was progressive, it was ‘universal."
"The bitter comment went round that Paris was still a beautiful woman, but she had shaved her head in penitence."
"The wind was our postman, the balloon was our letterbox..."
"With each departing aeronaut, our deepest thoughts also took flight, our hopes and fears, our wishes for absent loved ones, our heartaches and our longings, everything that was good and fine in the human spirit … took to the air."
"As Victor Hugo had predicted, the future lay with the bird, not the cloud."
"Like beautiful sacrifices they would be ‘offered up to heaven’; and like angels they would ‘drop back from the clouds’ for the edification of casual onlookers."
"The mechanical business of flight itself was certainly now handed over, via the airship, to the heavier-than-air machine, and within the next hundred years, to the rocket, the satellite, and ‘ultimately’ to the spaceship. Though neither the Apollo programme nor the current Mars missions are themselves the end, either. There will undoubtedly be further extensions in the forms of interplanetary – if not intergalactic – travel within the next hundred years or so; provided we do not burst our fragile planetary balloon in the meantime."
skybalon's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting history prose book written by a poet. Which sometimes doesn't work in favor the book as a whole, but in other places makes what could be uninteresting facts into something more interesting.
The overall book does help capture some of the feeling and spirit of the early ballooning days, or (since I wasn't there) makes one believe that it captures that spirit.
Ultimately I would not recommend this if you aren't interested in early aviation, as it is not that phenomenal. But it is pretty good and with just a little interest, it's worth the read.
The overall book does help capture some of the feeling and spirit of the early ballooning days, or (since I wasn't there) makes one believe that it captures that spirit.
Ultimately I would not recommend this if you aren't interested in early aviation, as it is not that phenomenal. But it is pretty good and with just a little interest, it's worth the read.
mojostdennis's review against another edition
3.0
popsugar challenge 2021: read a book with an oxymoron in the title
sujata's review against another edition
2.0
this was a disappointment, so much going for it for me, but very slow and almost TOO much on one topic (even though I generally love those one topic books). Some great moments, but too long, not engaging all around.
ljcostel's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't enjoy nearly as much as his others. Got the best of it in another of his books
abookolive's review against another edition
3.0
Not nearly as good as [b:The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science|4371507|The Age of Wonder How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science|Richard Holmes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328477467l/4371507._SY75_.jpg|4419518], but still an intriguing look at attitudes toward the simultaneously delicate, yet powerful hot air balloon when the technology was comparatively new. I can only imagine someone in the distant future will write this exact style of book about us modern folks and our fear of drones.