How Three Generations of One Family Went Higher, Deeper, and Further Than Any Before
by Tom Cheshire
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Dec 2013
288 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
Meet the Piccards. Swiss, all taller than 6'5", with high foreheads and leonine hair. Great Uncle Jules helped build the world's first hydroelectric power plant. In 1931, Grandfather Auguste flew higher than any man before him in a balloon he designed himself. And when his twin brother, Jean-Felix, beat his record, Auguste constructed his own submersible and went deeper into the ocean than any man before him. Even Auguste's grandson, Bertrand, who tried to escape the family legacy and become a psychiatrist, inevitably had his own breakthrough: in 1999, he became the first person to circumnavigate the world in a balloon.
In Beyond Sky and Sea, author Tom Cheshire tells the stories of wildly ambitious, highly risky enterprises - all conducted by members of one unusual family. Combining gripping storytelling with thoughtful, in-depth research, Cheshire captures the spirit of adventure that defined the era in which the early Piccards lived. Although the Piccards coasted through triumph after triumph, this book tells how they won their success as private individuals, without government support, and were frequently ridiculed for their efforts. Nonetheless, nothing has put a stop to them, and even today the Piccard name lives on: Bertrand is building a solar-powered plane and aims to circumnavigate the globe with it in 2014.
The first book from a remarkable new writer, Beyond Sky and Sea is a fascinating story not just about the astonishing feats of one family, but about the limitless bounds of human potential.
"[A] peerless tribute to a clan of European scientific pioneers...engagingly depict[ed]." - Publishers Weekly
"A page-turning account of a remarkable family and their many groundbreaking ventures." - Kirkus
"Cheshire presents a thrilling account of the scientific, personal, and, occasionally, governmental rivalries behind each endeavor as the Piccards tested theories and themselves." - Booklist
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Tom Cheshire received his BA in Classics at Cambridge University. He is the deputy editor of the UK edition of Wired and has written several cover stories. His work has also appeared in GQ, Italia, Conde Nast Traveler, and on BBC2. He lives in London.
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