Atlantic Furies: The Women Who Risked Everything to Be the First to Fly

In the early 20th century, the dream of crossing the Atlantic by air was as potent as putting a man on the moon would be 50 years later. But many people believed women too fragile and lacked the skills to endure the gruelling conditions of flying long distances.

In Atlantic Furies, Midge Gillies uncovers the stories of Elsie Mackay, Lady Anne Savile, Frances Grayson, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart, and Mabel Boll. These courageous, rule-breaking women risked everything to prove that women could fly the Atlantic. Some had lied to their families in order not to be stopped, others duped the press about their intentions and, ultimately, three lost their lives, but each pushed the boundaries of the possible.

Atlantic Furies celebrates the bravery, panache, and drive of these trail-blazing aviators, who showed the world that it wasn't just men who could conquer the skies.


'The astounding stories of the first women aviators, who took to the skies in the 1920s - all of them intrepid, determined, and remarkably stylish.'
-Sue Roe, author of Hidden Portraits

'What a delightful book! Written with verve, Atlantic Furies cuts across all the categories and all our expectations of the women who, in the Roaring Twenties, broke that singular glass ceiling- the aviation cockpit. This is the deeply transatlantic and transcontinental story of the pathbreaking women, from all walks of life, who dared. We all know the story of Amelia Earhart. Now we know the story of her compatriots and competitors.'
-Tilar J. Mazzeo, author of The Widow Clicquot

Praise for The Barbed-Wire University-
'A valuable, fascinating, and moving book ... this is a riveting collection of stories about incredible resourcefulness.'
-The Guardian