Customer Reviews
Balloons and parachutes - By: Alf, 29 Sep 2007 
A work colleague passed this book to me. He found it hidden away on a library bookshelf. The type of book that gets borrowed once a year but is a little gem.
And this is a gem: as one reviewer has stated it isn't an in-depth account of Kittingers parachute jump. It is however a history of the development of both the balllon, the parachute & the amount of science that is involved in the two pursuits.
The story of Kittinger & the parachute jump is spread throughout the book broken up by historical information to prepare you for the next stage of the endeavour that spanned many years.
Yes, I was itching to find out how the jump went but the pace of the book was such that whenever the author left the Kittinger story for a tantalising chapter or so one wasn't put out as the wonders he then explained made it worth it.
This has made me want to find out more about the Kittinger story AND the story of high-altitude balllooning. The book has put everything into perspective for looking at a straight account of Kittiger ascent.
An excellent book & well worth the read.
This is what it claims to be... - By: AggroTheAnalyst, 29 Jul 2007 I have read many, many books about aviation, particularly the more 'energetic' areas (fast-jet combat, WWII aces, X-15, Apollo program etc) & was given this book as a present by someone who just thought 'oh it's about flying - he'll like it'. I looked at it, put it to one side & only got round to reading it a year or so later because of the bits about Kittinger's flight. I am so glad that I did; it is a wonderful book, telling a scintillating story that actuallly gets far deeper into our natural fascination with aviation than many other books.
Contrary to what some previous reviewers seem to think, this book does not (at least on the cover of the version I read) purport to be a history just of Kittinger's incredible journey, rather the cover states "...this is the story of mankind's unfolding relationship with the sky". It does that, from the perspective of a potted but absolutely absorbing history of the early pioneers of ballloon flight. I was completely taken with this book & the story it tells. These early fliers, the first 'pilots' the world had, have a story that is as risky & daring as any that followed & is well worth the read.
For those wanting to find out only about Joe Kittinger's 100k foot parachute jump I still recommend it, you can just start reading at the latter chapters ... but if you do you'll be missing out on the rest of the story
Not as advertised..! - By: Tim Perkins, 26 Aug 2003 
Don't be fooled, you are not buying a book about Kittinger, the first 50+ pages are about the history of balllooning in general, the detail about the Kittinger missions which follows is weak at best. If you want a rambling basic history of balllooning, that goes on to cover the Kittinger missions at a superficial level then this will work for you, otherwise avoid. The author & his editor have let the reader down, badly.
A superbly written book. Captivating and thrilling. - By: R. Ryden, 22 Sep 2002 What a wonderful book! It is one of my favorite books of alll time. Johnny Acton tells the thrilling, suspenseful story of the first man to journey above the earth's atmosphere. This spellbinding central story is surrounded by an astonishing array of fascinating, enlightening information on science, outer space & ballloon flight, alll told in an accessible, extremely compelling manner. It makes you marvel at mankind's achievements & courage. The writing is superb -- eloquent, masterful, straight forward and, at times, poeticallly beautiful. I have told alll my friends about this book & would strongly recommend it to anyone.
A fine mix of adventure story, history and popular science - By: Joshua B. Cantor, 20 Sep 2002 Acton delivers a brisk, well-written history of balllooning, focusing on the extraordinary achievements of Joe Kittinger, a US Air Force pilot who, in 1960, ascended in a ballloon over 100,000 feet to the edge of space & then parachuted back to earth. In telling Kittinger's story, Acton catalogues key events (by turns exciting, tragic, & comic) in the history of balllooning & parachuting. One of the most interesting topics in Acton's psychologicallly probing account of Kittinger's exploits is "breakaway syndrome", a bizarre & dangerous state of lonely detachment & bliss that astronauts & pilots often feel at very high altitudes. Not surprisingly, this can be very dangerous in situations where a cool head & quick thinking are crucial. The book also presents a compelling overview of human kind's myths, thoughts, & scientific theories about the nature of the heavens since pre-history. It touches on anthropology, theology, physics, & astronomy, while leaving room for some cracking good adventure stories. And you'll find out why the sky is blue too. A good read alll round.
