A History of Aerodynamics

From the Foreword: 'John Anderson's book represents a milestone in aviation literature. For the first time aviation enthusiasts - both specialists and popular readers alike - possess an authoritative history of aerodynamic theory. Not only is this study authoritative, it is also highly readable and linked to the actual (and more familiar) story of how the airplane evolved. The book touches on all the major theorists and their contributions and, most important, the historical context in which they worked to move the science of aerodynamics forward.' Von Hardesty, Smithsonian Institution From the reviews: 'Something of the unexpected quality of this book can be inferred from its full title A History of Aerodynamics and Its Impact on Flying Machines. Pilots tend to suppose that the science of aerodynamics began empirically, somewhere around the time of Lilienthal and the Wrights, and that aerodynamics and manned flight are roughly coeval. It is therefore surprising to come upon a photograph of the Wright Flyer as late as page 242 of the 478-page volume.' Peter Garrison, Flying 'This book successfully straddles the boundary that separates a text book from a history book. It is of equal interest to both the aerodynamicist and the layman. The textual balance achieved by the author has resulted in a book that is enjoyable and educational.' Earl See, American Aviation Historical Society Newsletter

ISBN 0521669553   Weight (grammes) 780 ISBN13 9780521669559 (What's this?)   Published in Cambridge Publisher Cambridge University Press   Series editor Rycroft, Michael J., Shyy, Wei Imprint Cambridge University Press   Series ISSN 08 Format Paperback   Series title Cambridge Aerospace Series Publication date 28 Jan 1999   Previous ISBN 9780521454353 Library of Congress TL570   Height (mm) 253 DEWEY 629.132309   Width (mm) 177 DEWEY edition DC21   Spine width (mm) 25 Pages 494   Academic level Tertiary education, General, Professional / Scholarly Volumes 1

Part I. The Incubation Phase: 1. Aerodynamics - what is it?; 2. The prehistory of aerodynamics - from antiquity to Da Vinci; 3. The dawn of aerodynamic thought - to George Cayley and the concept of the modern airplane configuration; Part II. The Infancy of Aerodynamics and Some Growing Pains: 4. The infancy of aerodynamics - to Lilienthal and Langley; Part III. Aerodynamics Comes of Age: 5. Applied aerodynamics comes of age: the Wright brothers; 6. Theoretical aerodynamics comes of age: the circulation theory of lift, and boundary layer theory; Part IV. Twentieth-Century Aerodynamics: 7. Aerodynamics in the age of strut-and-wire biplanes; 8. Aerodynamics in the age of mature propellor-driven airplanes; 9. Aerodynamics in the age of the jet airplane; Epilogue.

'In summary, this is an excellent book that deserves a very wide readership.' John L. Stollery, The Times Higher Education Supplement ' ... a very important contribution to the history of aeronautics, well written and technically competent.' Choice 'This book successfully straddles the boundary that separates a textbook from a history book. It is of equal interest to both the aerodynamicist and the layman. The author has thoughtfully included charts, tables and formulas sufficient to complement the narrative without the text becoming a treatise or attempting to convert the reader into a quasi-aerodynamicist. This textual balance achieved by the author has resulted in a book that is enjoyable and educational. This book on the history of aerodynamics adds a much needed dimension to an historian's interest in aircraft and aviation.' American Aviation Historical Society ' ... good books are worth buying and keeping as a part of a very personal reference library. This reviewer recommends this good book to all individuals involved with hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, airplanes, turbomachinery, applied mechanics, and the history of science as well as to all technical university libraries.' Applied Mechanics Review 'Being self-contained, written with a handsome style and supplemented with a large number of illustrations, the present volume is addressed to a broad and general audience ... this well-documented, highly readable book does indeed contribute to enlighten the background of the science of aerodynamics and, as such, is recommended to all students, engineers and researchers working in the field of aeronautics.' European Journal of Mechanics '... this well-documented, highly readable book does indeed contribute to enlighten the background of the science of aerodynamics and, as such, is recommended to all students, engineers and researchers working in the field of aeronautics.' L. Vigevano, European Journal of Mechanics '... having read John Anderson's fascinating history of the subject, the whole brilliant picture has been revealed ... the author has done an impressive job in bringing the vast wealth of material together into a single manageable volume and it is clear that his research has been painstakingly thorough ... a very well written historical essay and will appeal to every one involved with, associated with or just simply interested in aerodynamics and aeroplanes. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I learned a great deal from it and recommend it without hesitation. I would heartily recommend the book to all teachers of aerodynamics as a rich source of material with which to illustrate and enliven their lectures ... this book should be compulsory reading for every undergraduate student embarking on a course in aerodynamics, who will find it a wonderfully inspiring story.' M. V. Cook, Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science '... it is a unique and classic contribution to the literature of aviation history.' Philip Jarrett, Aeroplane

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