Into Unknown Skies

“Thrilling … With deep research and suspenseful storytelling, Mr. Randall reminds us that America’s pre-eminence in the aviation industry was never assured and that it took a race of unlikely heroes to bring the dream of world flight to the public imagination.” — Wall Street Journal“Into Unknown Skies is as thrilling as its subject, as welcome as a following wind. David K. Randall has conjured the first air race to circumnavigate the globe in all its death-defying glory, featuring a cast of unlikely heroes who had the right stuff before anyone knew what that was.” — Mitchell Zuckoff, New York Times bestselling author of Lost in Shangri-La and 13 Hours“With Into Unknown Skies, author David K. Randall excites with the story of a 1924 race to circumnavigate the globe by air. It was the upstart U.S. team versus their European rivals in a death-defying contest. The result? Innovations in technology, and an upsurge in excitement for aviation in the U.S. that might just have given it the edge needed to win World War II.” — Parade”An intriguing history of the first flight around the world…Randall’s narrative approach, in which he stays behind the scenes and even considers aviation’s struggle for notoriety in the period, makes not just for thrilling reading (the flight was exciting, no doubt about that!) but also presents an account filled with unexpected layers of intrigue. Recommend Into Unknown Skies to Erik Larson fans.” — Booklist”The remarkable 1924 race to circumnavigate the globe has been largely forgotten, but journalist Randall, author of Dreamland and Black Death at the Golden Gate, sets out to correct the record…All this makes for an interesting story, and Randall handles it well, providing an engaging, colorful read. With careful research, Randall capably assembles the tale of the race that put the world on the path to modern aviation.” — Kirkus Reviews”A compelling narrative of this wholly underappreciated aviation feat. Even those who are well-versed in the history of aviation will find that Randall’s account is revelatory … There’s much within these pages that make it worthy of study both for the general public, and aviation policy leaders here in the U.S. It’s both shocking and inspiring to read just how often these brave fliers put their lives on the line in pushing the envelope in this new field of aviation technology.” — Forbes“David K. Randall does a wonderful job bringing both the race and its main characters to buoyant life, with enough dangerous thrills to make you reach for your seat belt. This is armchair reading at its best.” — Air Mail“Randall’s skill as a writer is undeniable.”  — Salon.com on The Monster’s Bones“[Randall] combines his journalist’s eye for details with a storyteller’s flair for spectacle.”  — The Atlantic on The Monster’s Bones“David Randall is…an artist in prose.”  — Los Angeles Weekly on The King and Queen of Malibu”A doozy of a tale…The Rindge saga has the trappings of [a] Hollywood movie.”  — Wall Street Journal on The King and Queen of Malibu

David K. Randall is the New York Times bestselling author of four works of nonfiction, Dreamland, The King and Queen of Malibu, Black Death at the Golden Gate, and The Monster’s Bones. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and elsewhere. A senior reporter at Reuters, he lives in Montclair, NJ, with his family.