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![]() 1999 paperback edition | |
Author | Max Allan Collins |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Nathan Heller |
Genre | Mystery, Historical novel |
Publisher | Signet Books |
Publication date | 1999 |
Media type | Print (Paperback) |
ISBN | 0-451-19262-1 |
OCLC | 42358148 |
Flying Blind is a mystery novel by American writer Max Allan Collins that was first published in 1999. The book was part of Collins's ongoing series of novels featuring private detective Nathan Heller.
In the Heller series, the lead character is frequently featured interacting with historical figures of the 1930s and 1940. In Flying Blind, set in the mid-1930s, Heller is hired by book publisher and publicist George P. Putnam to act as a bodyguard for his wife, strong-willed celebrity aviator Amelia Earhart, and at the same time investigate who might be sending her threatening letters.
Heller is initially reluctant to act as a "babysitter" and he and Earhart have a rocky relationship at first, but eventually their relationship progresses to the point where they become lovers; this reflects historic evidence that in real life Earhart asked Putnam for an open marriage. [1] [2]
Before Heller is able to solve the case, Earhart leaves on her ill-fated attempt to fly around the world and disappears. The book picks up again several years later when Heller learns that Earhart is being held captive by the Japanese (which in reality is often suggested in speculations about her ultimate fate). Heller then attempts to rescue her from her prison.
In Flying Blind, Collins does not paint a positive picture of George P. Putnam. Ironically, New American Library, the first American publishers of the book, is affiliated with Penguin Books, which in turn took over G. P. Putnam's Sons, the publishing firm established George P.'s grandfather. The back cover of the 1999 Signet Books edition (Signet being an NAL imprint) includes the URL "www.penguinputnam.com" but although Earhart's husband is described on the cover blurb as "publicity-hungry", he is never identified by name.
Howland Island is an uninhabited coral island located just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean, about 1,700 nautical miles (3,100 km) southwest of Honolulu. The island lies almost halfway between Hawaii and Australia and is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States. Together with Baker Island it forms part of the Phoenix Islands. For statistical purposes, Howland is grouped as one of the United States Minor Outlying Islands. The island has an elongated cucumber-shape on a north–south axis, 1.40 by 0.55 miles, and covers 1 square mile.
Max Allan Collins is an American mystery writer, noted for his graphic novels. His work has been published in several formats and his Road to Perdition series was the basis for a film of the same name. He wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for many years and has produced numerous novels featuring the character as well.
Amelia Mary Earhart was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her life, she embraced celebrity culture and women's rights, and since her disappearance has become a cultural icon. Earhart was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean and she set many other records. She was one of the first aviators to promote commercial air travel, wrote best-selling books about her flying experiences, and was instrumental in the formation of The Ninety-Nines, an organization for female pilots.
Frederick Joseph "Fred" Noonan was an American flight navigator, sea captain and aviation pioneer, who first charted many commercial airline routes across the Pacific Ocean during the 1930s. As the flight navigator for famed aviator Amelia Earhart in their pioneering attempt at circumnavigating the globe, they disappeared somewhere over the central Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937.
George Palmer Putnam was an American publisher, writer and explorer. Known for his marriage to Amelia Earhart, he had also achieved fame as one of the most successful promoters in the United States during the 1930s.
George Palmer Putnam was an American publisher and author. He founded the firm G. P. Putnam's Sons and Putnam's Magazine. He was an advocate of international copyright reform, secretary for many years of the Publishers' Association, and founding superintendent of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Susan Clark is a Canadian actress and producer. She made her big screen debut in the 1967 drama film Banning and the following year played the female lead in the crime thriller Coogan's Bluff. She later starred in films Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969), Colossus: The Forbin Project (1971), Valdez Is Coming (1971), Skin Game (1971), Showdown (1973), The Midnight Man (1974), Airport 1975 (1975), Night Moves (1975), The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975), Murder by Decree (1979), Promises in the Dark (1979) and Porky's (1981).
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20 Hrs. 40 Min.: Our Flight in the Friendship is a book written by pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart. It was first published in 1928 by G. P. Putnam's Sons, but has continued to be reprinted in periodic new editions. A special "Author's Autograph Edition" of 150 signed and numbered copies was also produced in 1928. Wilmer Stultz was the pilot. Each copy of this special edition contained a miniature silk American flag carried by Earhart in her flight on the Friendship from Boston to Wales.
Irene Craigmile Bolam was an American banker and resident of Monroe Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. In 1970, a book that was soon widely discredited set forth an allegation that she was Amelia Earhart. Bolam denied the claim and took legal action against the publisher, resulting in the book being withdrawn.
Take Flight is a musical with book by John Weidman, music by David Shire and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. The musical is inspired by the early history of aviation, interweaving the lives of the Wright Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart and her publisher George Putnam, along with such sundry luminaries as Otto Lilienthal, the German "Glider King"; Commander Richard Byrd; French flying aces Nungesser and Coli, and various others.
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Flight for Freedom is a 1943 American drama film directed by Lothar Mendes and starring Rosalind Russell, Fred MacMurray and Herbert Marshall. Film historians and Earhart scholars consider Flight for Freedom an à clef version of Amelia Earhart's life story, concentrating on the sensational aspects of her disappearance during her 1937 world flight. The film's ending speculated that the main character's disappearance was connected to a secret mission on behalf of the U.S. government. As a propaganda film, the Japanese characters in Flight for Freedom were portrayed as devious and evil.
John Bishop Putnam was treasurer and a director of the book publishing firm founded by his father, G.P. Putnam & Sons. He was the father-in-law of Amelia Earhart, being the father of her husband, George P. Putnam.
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Mabel Boll, known as the "Queen of Diamonds", was an American socialite involved in the early days of record-setting airplane flights in the 1920s. She garnered nicknames from the press, including "Broadway’s most beautiful blonde" and the "$250,000-a-day bride".
Amelia Earhart is a 1976 American biographical drama television film directed by George Schaefer and written by Carol Sobieski. It stars Susan Clark as Amelia Earhart, and John Forsythe as her husband, George P. Putnam.
Amelia Earhart: The Final Flight is a 1994 American biographical television film directed by Yves Simoneau, written by Anna Sandor, and starring Diane Keaton, Rutger Hauer and Bruce Dern. The film is based on the 1987 book Amelia Earhart: A Biography by Doris L. Rich, and depicts events in the life of Amelia Earhart, focusing on her final flight and disappearance in 1937, with her exploits in aviation and her marriage to publisher George P. Putnam being revealed in flashbacks. It aired on TNT on June 12, 1994.
Amelia Rose Earhart is an American private pilot and former reporter for NBC affiliate KUSA-TV in Denver, Colorado. In 2013, Earhart started the Fly With Amelia Foundation, which grants flight scholarships to girls aged 16–18.
Dorothy Binney Palmer was an American explorer, socialite, and friend to Amelia Earhart.