The Big Hop

Praise for David Rooney: 'About Time is abundantly clever, with myriad fascinations on every page'

Simon Winchester, New York Times

'An utterly dazzling book'

Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in Twelve Maps

'Startlingly original'

Literary Review

'Fascinating ... it’s to Rooney’s credit that although he clearly knows a colossal amount about clocks, he wears his learning very lightly'

Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday Times

'A fascinating volume on what clocks say both to us and about us ... full of riches ... a valuable intellectual journey at a moment ripe for contemplation'

Michael O'Donnell, Wall Street Journal

'One of the most astonishing moments in aviation history finally gets its due in The Big Hop, a vivid and utterly compelling account of the 1919 contest to cross the Atlantic by plane. David Rooney is an expert storyteller with a big heart, capturing not only the perils faced by the intrepid airmen who attempted the flight, but also their humanity'

John Lancaster, author of The Great Air Race

‘The Big Hop is a fabulous book. It works on every level, balancing technological know-how with superb characterisation. A gripping read.’

Jacky Hyams, author of Hurricane