Oct 27, 2016 1 min read

The history of airships, including the ill-fated Hindenburg, will be the subject of Lunch with Friends at noon Tuesday at Citizens Library.

Norman Richards of Washington will discuss his book, “Giants in the Sky,” which he wrote after being approached by Goodyear’s public relations staff to write a magazine article about the Goodyear blimp. At the time, Richards was editor of United Airlines’ inflight magazine. That article led to an offer from a publisher to write a book about famous dirigibles, which received a favorable review in the New York Times.

Richards has published more than 20 books, including “Heart to Heart,” detailing his own open-heart surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. He also has traveled extensively to research and write more than 100 magazine articles.

He graduated from Boston University with a degree in journalism, spent four years as an air traffic controller for the U.S. Navy and was director of corporate communications for USX Corp.

The event is sponsored by Friends of Citizens Library. Lunch is available for $6.