Few historians are as well-known as David McCullough. Dubbed "America's Historian," any time the two-time Pulitizer winner McCullough releases a book, people line up to buy it.
Such was the case with The Wright Brothers. McCullough first became interested in writing a book on the Wright brothers while researching his book The Greater Journey, which explored different Americans in Paris during the 19th century. According to McCullough, "I didn't know when (chronologically) I was going to end that book, and who do I run into in France but the Wright brothers."
McCullough was also driven to write a book about the Wright brothers due to his lifelong interest in aviation. In an interview with the Santa Barbra Independent, McCullough tells us that "I loved to make model airplanes when I was a young boy and I took flying lessons later on; I would have continued if they weren’t so expensive. But I have to say in all candor that I knew very little about [the Wright brothers]. I knew they were from Ohio, I knew they were bicycles mechanics, and I knew they invented the airplane. But I really didn’t know anything beyond that of any substance..."
With that, he began to write what was known as The Wright Brothers. In the end, though, the book followed the Wright brothers from childhood to first flight and then into their further successes in aeronautics. The book has been praised by critics and historians alike for its crisp and concise writing, as well as its interesting and fast pacing.
