Emilio Herrera (1879-1967) provides an insider's view of the early days of aviation in his memoirs. His recounting of experiments with hydrogen balloons and dirigibles arouses humor one moment and amazement the next in the depictions of courageous, if not fool-hardy, young aviators. Underlying the adventure of daring races and the romantic gestures, such as his planned honeymoon trip in a balloon from Barcelona to Paris, is a detailed recollection of the scientific debates of aviation's early history.