The Flying Cathedral by Lee. Arthur Gould,

Hardback book with 272 pages, illustrated with B/W plates, line drawings, 23 chapters, appendices, index.

The story of Samuel Franklin ‘Colonel’ Cody, the first man to build and fly an aeroplane in Britain. 

His is a romantic record of adventure, of enterprise and self-confidence, of unfailing courage, physical and moral, of stub-born struggle against fate, as well as against abuse and ridicule, and then of final overwhelming victory. The impact of his pioneer achievements, and of the colourful personality that set him alone among the earliest flyers, has not yet faded.

Here in this book, he is seen in every stage of his eventful career, from youth on the prairies, through his nomad life as showman, to mature manhood in the vas of pioneer aviation. For his story is one not only of achievement in the air, however brilliant, but of a lifetime of audacious effort, often against odds, usually under the risk of injury and death, and always under the spur of a valiant and imperturbable spirit.

For this reason, this book is aimed not at a minority of technically-minded readers, but to that wider public to whom the spectacle of resolute endeavour in any sphere, whether on the cattle trails, or on the racecourse, or on the stage, or in the air, belongs to the challenge of life itself.