Frank Whittle ─ The Invention of the Jet

The story of the jet engine has everything: genius, tragedy, heroism, a world war, the individual vs. the state, and an idea that would change the world. Frank Whittle always maintained that he was held back by a lack of government support. At the very moment in 1943 when his invention was unveiled to the world, his company, Power Jets, was forcibly nationalised. Yet, as Andrew Nahum shows in this brilliantly researched book, Whittle's innovative brilliance, charm and charisma helped him recruit major support from the British government and the RAF, who gave him the green light ‘to build a jet engine’ at a time when to do so made little sense. Frank Whittle: Invention of the Jet is a story of what pushing technology to its limits can achieve and the effect that such achievement can have on those involved.‘Read it [and] learn more about what really happened.’ Guardian

Andrew Nahum is currently Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum, London. He is also author of Alec Issigonis and the Mini (Icon Books, 2004) and Fifty Cars that changed the World (Design Museum, 2009, 2016).