Books with author Fred C Kelly

In this fascinating, highly readable biography, Fred C. Kelly, a former newspaperman, author, and an old friend of the Wrights, tells the story of the two brilliant, dedicated, flight-obsessed bicycle mechanics from Ohio who first realized mankind's age-old dream of conquering the skies. Long considered the definitive Wright biography (the manuscript was read and approved by Orville Wright), this book recounts the Wrights' small-town boyhood, their early interest in all things mechanical, the establishment of the Wright Cycle Shop, and the complete behind-the-scenes story of how they designed, built, tested, and flew (December 1903) the first "Flyer."Enhanced with sixteen rare photographs, Mr. Kelly's engaging account avoids minute technical description, yet describes simply and clearly the technological innovations that enabled the two brothers to succeed where so many others had failed. Anyone interested in the mechanics of flight or early aviation will find this volume a splendid introduction to the Wright brothers and their epochal achievement.Source: GoodreadsReading LevelThe Flesch Kincaid Reading Level Analysis produced an average grade level of 10.3 from a sample of four chapters.

This collection of more than 100 stories from America's Civil War is drawn from the writings of soldiers, sailors, slaves, politicians, and ordinary citizens as much as from the accomplishments of military leaders. The stories present the war in historical sequence through the voices of the common people, not just military and political leaders. Best Little Stories of the Civil War includes: Soldiers describing their first experiences in battle Edward Porter Alexander, the Georgia native who was stranded in San Francisco with his wife when war broke out (he later became a Confederate general. Thomas N. Conrad, the Washington, D.C., headmaster of a boys school who spied for the South. Julia Ward Howe, who was inspired to write the words of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" after watching young troops marching through Washington to the battlefields from her balcony at the Willard Hotel. New Orleans native George Cable, who describes what it was like to see Union ships sail up the Mississippi to take command of his city. These and many more stories and anecdotes fill the pages of this fascinating book that will make the Civil War come alive with the thoughts and feelings of real people.