The Flight of Icarus


Book Description

In late 19th-century Paris, the writer Hubert is shocked to discover that Icarus, the protagonist of the new novel he's working on, has vanished. Looking for him among the manuscripts of his rivals does not solve the mystery, so a detective is hired to find the runaway character.




The Flights of Icarus


Book Description




Lady Icarus


Book Description

A riveting middle-grade biography about Sophie Blanchard, the first woman to work as a professional aeronaut in France in the late 1700s, set against the thrilling backdrop of early flight. Before Amelia Earhart, there was Sophie Blanchard, the first woman to earn her living in the air. While no one knows the fate of Earhart, a terrified crowd of thousands looked on as French aeronaut Sophie Blanchard met her end in a tragic blaze of glory over the streets of Paris in 1819. But first, Blanchard made nearly 70 spectacular flights, survived a revolution, and become a court favorite of the emperor Napoleon (who gave her the title, "Aeronaut of the Official Festivals") and later of the King of France. Set against the backdrop of the history of flight, watch as Balloonmania-- a phenomenon that riveted all of Europe-- took hold and inspired a great many artists authors, and dreamers. This lively scrapbook-style biography with more than fifty black-and-white photos throughout, introduces a frightened, nervous girl who became a fearless legend in the skies.




The Flight of Icarus


Book Description

The Flight of Icarus is Raymond Queneau's only novel written in the form of a play: seventy-four short scenes, complete with stage directions. Consciously parodying Pirandello and Robbe-Grillet, it begins with a novelist's discovery that his principal character, Icarus by name, has vanished. This in turn, sets off a rash of other such disappearances.




Falling Upwards


Book Description

**Kirkus Best Books of the Year (2013)** **Time Magazine 10 Top Nonfiction Books of 2013** **The New Republic Best Books of 2013** In this heart-lifting chronicle, Richard Holmes, author of the best-selling The Age of Wonder, follows the pioneer generation of balloon aeronauts, the daring and enigmatic men and women who risked their lives to take to the air (or fall into the sky). Why they did it, what their contemporaries thought of them, and how their flights revealed the secrets of our planet is a compelling adventure that only Holmes could tell. His accounts of the early Anglo-French balloon rivalries, the crazy firework flights of the beautiful Sophie Blanchard, the long-distance voyages of the American entrepreneur John Wise and French photographer Felix Nadar are dramatic and exhilarating. Holmes documents as well the balloons used to observe the horrors of modern battle during the Civil War (including a flight taken by George Armstrong Custer); the legendary tale of at least sixty-seven manned balloons that escaped from Paris (the first successful civilian airlift in history) during the Prussian siege of 1870-71; the high-altitude exploits of James Glaisher (who rose) seven miles above the earth without oxygen, helping to establish the new science of meteorology); and how Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jules Verne felt the imaginative impact of flight and allowed it to soar in their work. A seamless fusion of history, art, science, biography, and the metaphysics of flights, Falling Upwards explores the interplay between technology and imagination. And through the strange allure of these great balloonists, it offers a masterly portrait of human endeavor, recklessness, and vision. (With 24 pages of color illustrations, and black-and-white illustrations throughout.)




Air Born


Book Description

Air Born is book one in the exciting unique YA crossover sci-fi series, Generation Icarus. Based on the Wattpad sensation First Flight which had 1 million + downloads, this is a completely revised four book series. The fast moving action story also explores timely issues in society: diversity, the real effects of uncontrolled experiments, developing identity and community, and in many ways is a metaphor for the struggles of coming of age.My past. My present. My future.Destroyed in an instant.So, who am I?Seventeen-year-old Tyler Owen is smart, good-looking, and destined to be a fighter pilot. He's mapped out his life and knows exactly where he's headed. That is, until his first solo sky-dive, when he undergoes a terrifying transformation. Caught on camera, Tyler becomes a viral hit. Everyone wants a piece of him, including the sinister Evolutionary Corporation and a religious cult known as the Angelists.But the worldwide media coverage also alerts others like him. Driven by instinct, they come together and form the Flight. The first of an extraordinary new species, they have only one way to survive.Fly.




The Icarus Deception


Book Description

In The Icarus Deception, Seth Godin's most inspiring book, he challenges readers to find the courage to treat their work as a form of art Everyone knows that Icarus's father made him wings and told him not to fly too close to the sun; he ignored the warning and plunged to his doom. The lesson: Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldn't want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success? But we tend to forget that Icarus was also warned not to fly too low, because seawater would ruin the lift in his wings. Flying too low is even more dangerous than flying too high, because it feels deceptively safe. The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isn't a genetic disposition or a specific talent. It's an attitude we can all adopt. It's a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things you're an artist, no matter what it says on your business card. Godin shows us how it's possible and convinces us why it's essential. 'If Seth Godin didn't exist, we'd need to invent him' Fast Company 'Seth Godin is a demigod on the web, a bestselling author, highly sought-after lecturer, successful entrepreneur, respected pundit and high-profile blogger' Forbes Seth Godin is the author of thirteen international bestsellers that have changed the way people think about marketing, the ways ideas spread, leadership and change including Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, The Dip and Tribes. He is the CEO of Squidoo.com and a very popular lecturer. His blog, www.sethgodin.typepad.com, is the most influential business blog in the world, and consistently one of the 100 most popular blogs on any subject..




The Icarus Project


Book Description

More than anything, Maya wants to discover something incredible. Her parents are scientists: Her mother spends most of her time in tropical rainforests, uncovering ancient artifacts, and her dad is obsessed with digging up mammoths. When her father gets invited by an eccentric billionaire to lead a team investigating a mammoth’s remains in the Arctic, Maya begs to come along. Upon her arrival at the isolated camp, the mammoth is quickly revealed to be a fake, but there is something hidden in the ice—something unbelievable. Along with a team of international experts, each with his or her own agenda and theory about the mystery in the ice, Maya learns more about this discovery, which will change her life forever. Laura Quimby expertly mixes adventure, science, and wonder into a page-turning story perfect for middle-grade explorers. Praise for The Icarus Project "Who wouldn’t want to find something earth-shatteringly unique while on an Arctic expedition?.. Quimby’s plot is exuberantly fast-paced and earnest." —Kirkus Reviews "Maya’s earnest first-person point of view and sense of fair play make her easy to root for, and the inclusion of a boy character as a foil to Maya, along with lively writing and plenty of action, will help this middle-grade novel pull in reluctant readers." —Booklist "Maya is an earnest and likable character and the plot is fast-paced enough to hold readers’ attention. Maya’s curiosity, bravery, and desire to do the right thing will resonate with many readers." —School Library Journal




Killing Icarus


Book Description

From #1 NYTs bestseller, Paul Kemprecos: For art historian Abi Vickers, the windswept cottage overlooking Cape Cod Bay is the ideal refuge until she discovers a WWII secret in an Edward Hopper sketch, unleashing dangerous forces.




To Conquer the Air


Book Description

Based on extraordinary research in the rich archives of American aviation, and written by one of the nation's most gifted narrative historians, "To Conquer the Air" brings to life one of history's most exciting contests.