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Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air

Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air

by Midge Gillies (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2003

    $6.36
Synopsis

In May 1930, Amy Johnson, a typist from Hull, took off from Croydon Airport with a thermos flask and a packet of sandwiches to try to beat the world solo record to Australia. She arrived, sun-blistered and with grease on her face, after weeks of flying a second-hand, open-cockpit biplane with no radio communication and the most basic of maps. Her adventures - including a forced landing in the Iraqi desert and on a football pitch near Rangoon - inspired a world struggling with the devastating effects of the Depression, and a generation who felt cheated by the futility of the Great War. The Daily Mail transformed her into a celebrity whose career was followed by millions. But fame and the thrill of her flight to Australia made her restless and she took on record-breaking flights to Tokyo and Cape Town. She married Scottish playboy, Jim Mollison and together 'The Flying Sweethearts' broke records, mixed with the Mayfair Set, Amelia Earhart and Hollywood stars and dined with President Roosevelt. Amy became a glamorous fashion icon with a penchant for Chanel clothes and Cartier diamonds, and for painting her planes in her favourite colour of the moment. As her tempestuous marriage crumbled she resumed her love affair with speed, taking up gliding and rally driving, and finding solace with a French millionaire. Her plane disappeared over the Thames Estuary during the Second World War, sparking rumours which are still being investigated today. Her body was never found.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 400
 Edition: First Edition
 Publisher: W&N
Published: 01 Jul 2003
ISBN 10: 0297829823
ISBN 13: 9780297829829
Book Overview: Centenary of Amy Johnson's birth Midge Gillies' biography of MARIE LLOYD was chosen as one of the SUNDAY TIMES biographies of the year The atmospheric biography of an extraordinary woman. Fascinating insights into the early days of flying.

Media Reviews
1 July 2003 is the centenary anniversary of Amy Johnson's birth and we are expecting lots of publicity and will be arranging an early press date. Midge is a very proactive author and so we will be making the most of this golden opportunity. We have already received the wonderful following quote from Ellen MacArthur: Amy Johnson was an incredible woman who flew thousands of miles single-handed without even a radio let alone modern satellite communications. She is an inspiration to any adventurer - her physical courage, skill and determination knew no bounds. Midge Gillies will be at the following events to mark Amy Johnson's birthday:Bridlington -Saturday 5 July, 2pm, Midge Gillies will be speaking at Sewerby Hall Museum and Art Gallery, Bridlington, North Yorks on Amy Johnson and other women pilots of the 1930s. The hall houses a special collection of items connected with Amy Johnson's life and Bridlington is also where her parents retired. Local publicity arranged includes the BRIDLINGTON FREE PRESS, YORKSHIRE POST Hull - Tuesday 8 July, 12.30pm, Midge Gillies will be speaking at the Hull Central Library which houses a vast collection of her letters. Amy Johnson was born in Hull and celebrations to mark her life will continue all week.Hull - Tuesday 8 July, 2.30pm, Informal signing atWaterstones, HullLocal publicity here includes BBC RADIO HUMBERSIDE, BBC LOOK NORTH, BBC HUMBER WEBSITE, HULL DAILY MAIL, YORKSHIRE POST. Wivenhoe near Colchester - Friday 25 July Midge Gillies will be giving a lunchtime talk at The Bake House restaurant, Wivenhoe, near Colchester, Essex, in connection with The Wivenhoe Bookshop. Local publicity tbc Other Amy Johnson Events:SewerbyHall near Bridlington - Tuesday 1 July, The Amy Johnson Centenary Exhibitionopens with day-long celebration to mark Amy Johnson's birthday which will include flag-raising ceremony with bugler, 1930s entertainment, flying display by an Avro Anson and two flypasts by spitfires. Woburn Abbey, Beds - Sunday 17th August, An Aerial fly-past in honour of Amy Johnson at the De Haviland Fly-in at the International Moth Rally at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire. Full details yet to be announced, it is thought that Amy Johnson will arrive in her MG 1880 and then fly off in a Green Moth dressed as Jason. Proceeds to the Amy Johnson memorial Trust.We will have our books on sale and be offering them as competition prizes. London, October - Imperial War Museum, major exhibition about women and war which will feature Amy Johnson's ATA days. We are expecting good review coverage and reviews which have already appeared include MARIE CLAIRE. Features include THE DAILY EXPRESS (this coming Saturday) and interviews include WOMAN'S HOUR (BBC RADIO 4 this Thursday) from Manchester whichwill focus on the regional links in the north of England. Amy Johnson has links with lots of other areas around the country including Sheffield, Pendine,Prestwick, Croydon, Suffolk and we are targeting local media in all of theseareas. Midge's agent is also throwing a small launch party on 1 July. As you
Author Bio
Midge Gillies is a freelance journalist who has written for The Guardian, The Independent, the Financial Times and the Los Angeles Times. She was a consultant and contributor to the Channel 4 documentary, The Real Amy Johnson, and is a creative writing tutor for Cambridge University Board of Continuing Education and the Open College of the Arts. She lives in Ely with her husband, Jim Kelly, a journalist and crime writer, and their young daughter. She first flew when she was six months old.