"Long Island was the scene of many pioneering
flights in the history of aviation. Charles Lindbergh's solo flight in 1927 from
Roosevelt Field across the Atlantic was certainly the most famous. Long Island
was the 'Cradle of Aviation,' though Orville and Wilbur Wright were 'first in
flight' in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903. Many 'firsts' in aviation occurred
here, and Long Island has been home to many airfields and airplane and aerospace
companies. Early airfields were on the Hempstead Plains in the middle of Nassau
County. This natural prairie of flat grassland without trees was an ideal flying
field. . . .
"Long Island's aviation history is the subject of the Institute's first publication
for younger readers. From Airship to Spaceship provides highlights of Long
Island's aviation history and involvement in spaceflight. Brief biographical information
and photographs of some key individuals are included." --Foreword by Natalie A.
Naylor, Director, Long Island Studies Institute
Author and Illustrator:
Joshua Stoff, who wrote and illustrated From Airship to Spaceship, is
curator of the Cradle of Aviation Museum at Mitchel Field in Garden City, Long
Island. The other books he has written and illustrated for younger readers are:
From Canoes to Cruisers: The Maritime Heritage of Long Island (also published
under the auspices of the Long Island Studies Institute); Dirigible; and
The Voyage of the Ruslan, which is a story about the first manned expedition
to Mars. Stoff is also the author of The Aerospace Heritage of Long Island
(published under the auspices of the Long Island Studies Institute, 1989),
and other specialized books on Long Island's aviation and space history, including
The Thunder Factory: The History of the Republic Aviation Corporation (1990);
A Picture History of World War II American Aircraft Production (1993);
Charles A. Lindbergh: A Photographic Album (1995); A Picture History
of Early Aviation, 1903-1913 (1996); Chariots for Apollo: The Making of
the Lunar Module (co-author, 1985); and Roosevelt Field: World's Premier
Airport (co-author, 1992).
Publication
and Ordering Information:
From Airship to Spaceship is designed for younger readers (grade 4 and
up), but of interest to all ages. It is 94 pages in an 8"x10" format with 35
hand-drawn illustrations, a biography section with 11 photographs, suggestions
for further reading, and an index. It is available in hardcover for $15 (ISBN:
1-55787-074-8; LC 90-47647), and paperback, for $7.95 (1-55787-075-6). Mail
orders will be filled by Empire State Books/Heart of the Lakes Publishing (P.O.
Box 299, Interlaken, NY 14847-299; HLPbooks@aol.com, 607-532-4997, fax 607-532-4684);
the Weathervane Shop of the Suffolk County Historical Society, 300 West Main
Street, Riverhead, NY 11901 (histsoc@suffolk.lib.ny.us, 631-727-2881, fax 631-727
3467); or libraries, schools, and bookstores can order from the Long Island
Studies Institute, Hofstra University West Campus, 619 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead,
NY 11549; LISI@Hofstra.edu, (516) 463-6411; fax 463-6441.
Of related interest are two other books by Joshua Stoff:From
Canoes to Cruisers: The Maritime Heritage of Long Island(also designed
for younger readers); and The
Aerospace Heritage of Long Island.
Contents:
Foreword
1. The Dawn of Flight--Ballooning
2. Gliders
3. Airships
4. Pioneer Airplane Flights
5. International Aviation Meet, 1910
6. The Hempstead Plains
7. Military Airfields in World War I
8. Aircraft Manufacturers in World War I
9. Historic Flights, 1918 and 1919
10. The Giant Airships
11. New Records and Aviation Manufacturers
12. Lindbergh's Flight to Paris
13. Making Flying Safer
14. Elinor Smith, Women Aviators, and Curtiss Field
15. Roosevelt Field
16. Seaplanes and Amphibians
17. World War II and Grumman
18. Republic and Other Wartime Manufacturers
19. New York City Airports
20. Post-WWII Grumman and Nassau Airports
21. Republic and Smaller Manufacturers in Postwar Years
22. Modern Grumman Planes
23. Grumman X-29 and Other Products
24. Goddard's Rocketry Experiments
25. First American Guided Missiles
26. Bigger and Faster Rockets
27. The First Moonsuit and Other Space Projects
28. The Orbiting Astronomical Observatory
29. Grumman Prepares to Fly America to the Moon
30. Long Island Spacecraft Lands on the Moon
31. Parts for the Space Shuttle
32. Building a Space Station
33. Long Island Astronauts
34. Our Future in Space
35. Airports, Aviation, and the Future
Brief Biographies of Selected People Mentioned in This Book
For Further Reading
Index
Excerpt from Reviews:
"From Airship to Spaceship is a concise, chronological history of
Long Island's contribution and relationship to aviation, aimed at the younger
reader. It is well-organized, with easy access to thirty-five monographs, each
on a particular development. . . . Stoff's intricate, shaded drawings awaken
a sense of wonderment and captivation rarely evoked by photographs. . . . The
writing, like the drawings, is concise and easily understood, unencumbered by
technical jargon. Stoff never loses sight of his intended audience; technical
information is relevant and handled well. . . . This enjoyable book will be
valuable in the classroom." --Marie Fitzgerald, St. Joseph's College and Paul
Baker, Bayport-Bluepoint Schools, Long Island Historical Journal, 4 (Fall
1991): 132-33.
"From Airship to Spaceship covers
the same topics [as Stoff's The Aerospace Heritage of Long Island]
but is directed to younger readers (grade 4 and above) and is therefore
less detailed, presented in discrete topical form, and has more illustrations.
Adult readers, however, will also find the illustrations and explanations useful.
Mr. Stoff does not write down to his younger readers. --Wendell Tripp, Editor,
New York History, 74 (July 1993): 332.
"This informative history of aviation
on Long Island should be useful for local history collections and assignments.
Each page gives a brief synopsis of events and the people involved in the various
phases of flight development from first efforts to the space age, all happening
on Long Island. Each page is accompanied by a black and white illustration,
and a brief biography of selected people mentioned in the book is included with
their photograph attached." --Jeanne Bracken, Mastic-Moriches-Shirley Community
Public Library, April 1991, NLS [Nassau Library System Children's] Book Review
List. Recommended for purchase.
"Mr. Stoff sees the magic of aviation which he readily transmits to his young
readers. In this delightful chronology, the history of aviation on Long Island
is traced from its infancy in the early years of the nineteenth century to the
present day. It is filled with interesting anecdotes and information which are
carefully structured for younger readers." --Raymond Spinzia (Librarian, Seaford
High School) and Judith Spinzia, co-authors of Long Island: A Guide to New
York's Suffolk and Nassau Counties.
<<Back to Long Island Studies Institute Homepage
