▁to ▁repair ▁rather ▁than ▁sab ot age ▁aircraft , ▁and ▁restore ▁G us ▁to ▁active ▁flight ▁status ▁after ▁a ▁particularly ▁severe ▁crash . ▁The ▁book ▁also ▁contains ▁pictures que ▁details ▁about ▁the ▁ordinary ▁lives ▁of ▁gre ml ins : ▁ ▁baby ▁gre ml ins , ▁for ▁instance , ▁are ▁known ▁as ▁widget s , ▁and ▁females ▁as ▁fif in ell as , ▁a ▁name ▁taken ▁from ▁the ▁great ▁" f lying " ▁fil ly ▁race hor se ▁Fif in ella , ▁that ▁won ▁both ▁The ▁Derby ▁and ▁E ps om ▁O aks ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 6 , ▁the ▁year ▁D ahl ▁was ▁born . ▁ ▁Public ation ▁The ▁publication ▁of ▁The ▁Gre ml ins ▁by ▁Random ▁House ▁consisted ▁of ▁a ▁ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ▁run ▁for ▁the ▁U . S . ▁market ▁with ▁D ahl ▁ordering ▁ 5 0 ▁copies ▁for ▁himself ▁as ▁prom ot ional ▁material , ▁hand ing ▁them ▁out ▁to ▁everyone ▁he ▁knew , ▁including ▁the ▁British ▁Amb assador ▁in ▁Washington ▁Lord ▁Hal if ax , ▁and ▁the ▁First ▁Lady ▁of ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Ele an or ▁Ro ose vel t , ▁who ▁loved ▁to ▁read ▁it ▁to ▁her ▁grand children . ▁The ▁book ▁was ▁considered ▁an ▁international ▁success ▁with ▁ 3 0 , 0 0 0 ▁more ▁sold ▁in ▁Australia ▁but ▁initial ▁efforts ▁to ▁repr int ▁the ▁book ▁were ▁pre cluded ▁by ▁a ▁w art ime ▁paper ▁short age . ▁Review ed ▁in ▁major ▁publications , ▁D ahl ▁was ▁considered ▁a ▁writer