Empires of the Sky

I've always been fascinated by the early days of early aviation, but I didn't know much about dirigibles aside from the Hindenburg disaster. Typically I read more about rockets, so this was an interesting change of pace.

Empires of the Sky is an in-depth look at the creation of the Zeppelin airships as well as the impact they had on the world. We get to learn about the inventors as well as some notable benefactors and everything in between. Perhaps most fascinating part to me was the political weight they carried, especially nearing the World War eras.

From the ups and downs to celebrations and tragedies, this is a super interesting read. It did run a bit long for me, though. Maybe it's just a matter of not being overly interested in the topic (I'll say my interest runs just above casual) but I felt like some sections really dragged. Despite this, this was an extremely interesting read. It seems like this section of history isn't as prevalent nowadays with all of the high-tech advances in aviation. This book is a good reminder of the roots of air travel.