Birdmen, Batmen and Skyflyers: Wingsuits and the Pioneers Who Flew Them, Fell in Them and Perfected Them

When Abrams talks about humans flying, he is referring more to Icarus than to airplanes. From ancient myths through China "sometime in the sixth century A.D." to present-day skydivers, Abrams chronicles the men and their various models of wings that have taken to the air in hope of flying like a bird. The tales of flight range from the silly and mysterious to the inspiring and unbelievable. Abrams's brief biographies are deep enough to convey how serious these birdmen take the notion of flight, but lighthearted enough to capture the carefree way most of these sky flyers face possible death. For instance, Abrams isn't afraid to paraphrase Shakespeare in describing one would-be flyer who also happened to be an English king thus: "the wind did not crack its cheeks quite enough to keep the sovereign aloft—'twas his neck that cracked instead." Abrams's witty touch is a saving grace considering that many of these daredevils' stories follow a similar arc: as Abrams notes, an exceptionally high percentage of successful and would-be birdmen are, for some unexplained reason, either orphans or from the state of Michigan. B&w photos. (May)