I came away with a great deal of respect for the genius and work ethic of Wilbur Wright. The book was well-written, only dragging here and there when it told about the efforts of others. The chapter on Alexander Graham Bell, in particular, seemed tacked on without advancing the history in any way.

Langley was the leader of the Smithsonian Institute and used about $70,000 of the government's money to create his aerodrome which never flew and, even if it could, couldn't be steered or landed. The Wrights figured their efforts to make the 1903 plane, the first that flew, cost them less than $1,000.