LIFT is a playful introduction to flying machines from the late 1800’s and the inspiring people who designed, built, launched, and crashed them. It is also a serious guide to innovation for 21st century problem solvers.

Blending light-hearted pop culture whimsy with well-grounded engineering pragmatism, LIFT introduces five inventors who tackled the seemingly impossible challenge of human flight decades before Orville and Wilbur.

These stories are sometimes funny, occasionally heartbreaking, and always instructive. All together they provide readers with practical insights on experimentation, creativity, persistence, and innovation.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR LIFT 'A soaring history of the unsung pioneers of flight, offering real-world lessons for 21st century innovators.' -August Cole, co-author of Ghost Fleet 'If you hope to succeed at innovation, read this book!' Peter Morville Author of Information Architecture and Planning for Everything