Jean Batten : the Garbo of the skies /
Garbo of the skies.
Ian MacKersey.
- xi, 465 pages, 24 unnumbered leaves of plates : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm
Reprint of the original book, published by McDonald Publishers in 1990.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 449-450) and index.
The dentist's daughter (1909-1913) -- Parting of the ways (1913-1930) -- Wings over London (1930) -- A woman of destiny (1931-1933) -- Ordeal by sandstorm (1933) -- Interlude in Baluchistan (1933) -- Down and out in Stag Lane (1934) -- Dicing with death (1934) -- 'Jeanius' -- The Empire salutes a heroine (1934) -- Shaping the images of fame (1934) -- Love at first sight (1934-1935) -- The black hole (1935) -- Mother says no (1935-1936) -- The cup of happiness is full (1936) -- Breakdown (1936) -- 'A dagger in my heart' (1937) -- The end of an era (1937-1939) -- War without wings (1939-1946) -- Islands in the sun (1946-1966) -- Grief (1966-1969) -- The comeback (1969-1977) -- The rift that refused to heal (1978-1980) -- Swansong (1980-1982) -- The aviator vanishes (1982-1986) -- Mystery in Mallorca (1986-1987) -- The Spanish document (1987) -- Final loneliness (1987) -- Route map -- Jean Batten's principal flights -- Jean Batten's honours. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. Appendix 1. Appendix 2.
"Jean Batten was one of the great aviation megastars of the 1930s. Her spectacular flights ranked with those of Britain's Amy Johnson and America's Amelia Earhart. Yet, despite her brilliance as a pilot, she remained the least well-known of them all. For the dentist's daughter from New Zealand built an impregnable wall around her private life - which was dominated, though few knew it, by the formidable influence of her mother. This reprint of the original book, published by Macdonald Publishers in 1990, draws on secret memoirs found after Jean Batten's death and on hundreds of interviews with people who knew her. This biography of Jean's sad and elusive life explodes the enduring myths of happiness and perfection she created for herself. It also solves the mystery of her bizarre and lonely end. The real Jean Batten emerges as a fascinating woman, who combined bravery with ruthlessness with the stun"--Publisher's website.