Fly Now!: The Poster Collection of the Smithsonian National Air and Space - Softcover

From the streets of late 19th-century Paris to present-day cities and hamlets on five continents, colourful aviation posters have showcased the allure of imagined places from the fantastic perspective of a hot air balloon basket or an airplane seat. These large and vibrant advertisements graced the walls of fairgrounds, travel agencies, airports, and private collectors and have played a significant role in introducing and promoting aeronautics to an eager public. "Fly Now!" features the never-before-seen poster collection of the renowned Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Gorgeous posters of hot-air balloons, stunt planes, flying boats, gliders, and the first luxury liners combine with entertaining, fact-filled text to reveal the fascinating story of flight and the historical impact of the posters on politics, culture, business, and art history.Fly through the air with Miss Stena, the Parisian who dangled from a balloon basket by her braid. See how wealthy 19th-century Europeans where charmed into flying by the elegant Belle Epoque poster art of Henri Gabard.

Picture the romantic, triple-engined 1930s Imperial Airways flying boat as it soars above palm trees, announcing: Fly There!. See the pre-WWII poster of Germany's Junkers line, which jauntily served the masses and flew the mail from Finland to Estonia, but soon would churn out Nazi fighters. These posters are a window to the world through time. With an Introduction by Bob Van der Linden, curator for the NASM America by Air Exhibit, and a Foreword by Southwest Airlines founder and president Herb Kelleher, "Fly Now!" is the official book of the "Fly Now!" poster exhibition, opening at NASM in June 2007.

Dr. Joanne Gernstein London has been a curator at National Air and Space Museum (NASM) for 19 years, 16 of those as curator of the 1400-piece poster collection. As a historian at the NASM, she has contributed to such major exhibitions as "Legend, Memory, and the Great War in the Air" (about WWI) and "Where Next, Columbus?" (on the state of exploration on the 500th anniversary of Columbus's landing in 1492).