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Dam Buster

Barnes Wallis: An Engineer’s Life

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About this listen

'A stunningly good and surely definitive biography of one of the most fascinating British engineers ever to have lived' JAMES HOLLAND

Barnes Wallis is remembered for contributions to aviation that spanned most of the 20th century, from airships at its start to reusable spacecraft near the end. In the years between he pioneered new kinds of aircraft structure, bombs to alter the way in which wars are fought, and aeroplanes that could change shape in flight. Later work extended to radio telescopy, prosthetic limbs, and plans for a fleet of high-speed cargo submarines to travel the world's oceans in silence.

For all his fame, little is known about the man himself. Dam Buster draws on family records to reveal someone thick with contradictions: a Victorian who in his imagination ranged far into the 21st century; a romantic for whom nostalgic pastoral and advanced technology went together; an unassuming man who kept a close eye on his legacy. Wallis was last in a line of engineers who combined hands-on experience with searching vision. Richard Morris sets out to locate him in Britain's grand narrative.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2023 Richard Morris (P)2023 Orion Publishing Group Limited 20th Century Europe Great Britain Historical Historical Fiction Military War Aviation Submarine Air Force

Critic reviews

A comprehensive, deeply researched and insightful portrait of Wallis, one of Britain's greatest engineers (Saul David)
Fascinating . . . Wallis was in the unenviable position of being one of Britain's most talented engineers who was nevertheless under-appreciated in his lifetime . . . [Morris] does a sterling job of re-establishing his reputation as an innovator in countless fields, in highly readable fashion (Alexander Larman)
Richard Morris's biography is the best and most detailed to date of the celebrated engineer Barnes Wallis (Waqar Zaidi)
A superb book ... beautifully written ... for an account of a major name in British aviation history this is, I would suggest, as good as it can get. It is a superb read and I highly recommend it to anybody interested in aviation (Tony Buttler, AMRAeS)
All stars
Most relevant
I will leave the books own "afterward" to sum up this mans wonderful contribution to aviation. Certainly a book to listen too.

Wonderful Man.

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Very factual and no nonsense biography of a great man. Details Wallis Life @ 360 degrees.

Legend!

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This audio book covers so much more than the bouncing bomb. Really interesting stuff. You get a real insight to his life, his achievements and the people around him.

What a life indeed.

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