Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-314) and index.

"In July 1900, Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin conducted the maiden flight of the world's first zeppelin. The trip lasted eighteen minutes and the airship reached a cruising speed of eight miles an hour. Among those watching the historic event was a young reporter named Hugo Eckener, who would go on to play a crucial role in the zeppelin's development, becoming first the count's aide and later his successor. In 1929, Eckener earned a lasting place in the history of flight with the legendary around-the-world voyage of the luxurious Graf Zeppelin." "Dr. Eckener's Dream Machine tells the enthralling story of the creation and development of the zeppelin - one of the great inventions of aviation history and one of the most spectacular and best-loved technological and operational marvels of its age. Douglas Botting, a Biographer and journalist, also provides a vivid retelling of the life of Dr. Hugo Eckener, a hero in his native Germany, a celebrity in America. Under Eckener's guidance, the pre-World War I zeppelins became the world's first commercial passenger aircraft, providing service across Germany years before airplanes could carry anyone but pilot and crew."--BOOK JACKET.