. May 2026. 496p. ISBN 9781524745516. $35. HISTORY COPY ISBN Dean’s ( The Taking of K-129) sweeping account traces the rise of aviation company Lockheed’s secretive Skunk Works division and its legendary engineer, Clarence “Kelly” Johnson. From the Wright brothers through the Cold War, the book unfolds as a brisk, vivid chronicle of American political and military history told through the evolution of flight. Johnson, a University of Michigan graduate, headed west to Burbank.