Buy this book on-line

PICCARD, BERTRAND and JONES, BRIAN: : THE GREATEST ADVENTURE: The balloonists' own epic tale of their round-the-world Voyage.[Co-author SIGNED copy.]

LONDON.HEADLINE BOOK PUBLISHING 1999.

ISBN 0747271283.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,co-author SIGNED,1st edn. [Complete number line 1-10.] FINE+/FINE+.No owner inscrptn but one of the co-author's handwritten neat,black ink dedication and signature: 'To Doug With very best wishes Brian Jones.' to half-title page and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean, glossy laminated,colour photographic illustrated dw/dj,with b/w lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present. Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight,clean - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,would appear unread apart from my own collation. Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered, publisher's original plain navy blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain,pale blue endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj, SIGNED,1st edn,3-308pp [paginated] includes 13 chapters,24pp contemporary,colour photographs in 3 blocks of 8pp apiece, between pp54/5,pp150/1 and pp246/7 respectively,appendix (round-the-world balloon attempts); plus [unpaginated] co-author and co-pilot SIGNED half-title page, double-page title page,contents list/table, dedication+acknowledgements,2 b/w diagrams (Breitling Orbiter 3 and Capsule/Gondola, the latter which has a glossary of technical terms to it's reverse) chapter+ appendix separator pages with b/w world map headpiece illustration and 2pp blanks at rear. In the tense and often moving narrative, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones,the pilots of the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon,tell the remarkable story of their record-breaking round-the-world flight in March 1999,one of the great feats of human endurance. By the time Piccard and Jones took off from Switzerland thay had already had to overcome many problems,and the prospects of winning the race to be the first round the world looked poor - a rival balloon was days ahead of them.Yet in the end they made history.The flight was a triumph not only of technology but of the human spirit. During their 30,000-mile nineteen-day voyage,they survived numerous crises: for two days they lost communication with the world below,at one point they wee almost overcome by poisonous fumes,and at 35,000 feet - with the outside temperature minus 50 degrees C - their heating failed and water froze inside their tiny gondola,no bigger than a lift cage. By the time they reached the Gulf of Mexico,their fuel had run perilously low, and their decision to carry on across the Atlantic reflected their courage and determination to succeed where others had failed.The further they flew,the more they became convinced they were being guided by some invisible hand which brought them repeated strokes of good fortune. Using their log book,journals and photographs taken on board,Piccard and Jones have bought their marathon flight vividly to life,capturing many moments of high tension and emotion.Their account tells of an epic adventure but shows also how two very different characters forged a unique relationship in the most challenging circumstances of their lives. Uncommon SIGNED copy/example. Brian Jones,ex-RAF,developed a passion for flying balloons in 1986,and became an instructor in 1989.He is now (then 1999) the UK's chief flying instructor.He worked on the Breitling Orbiter 2 attempt and was the project manager for Breitling Orbiter 3 and this attempt. Originally the back-up pilot,he stepped in as co-pilot at a late stage. Please contact seller,because of the value of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch, especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** This item offered P+p included.Offer available UK only,unless indicated otherwise. ** ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,co-author SIGNED,1st edn.
'To Doug With very best wishes Brian Jones.'

Bibliophile Bookbase for antiquarian books, maps and prints.