Grimm,
Eight years ago or so, I found a book covering aviation before the Wright Brothers. This was at the Norfolk, Virginia main library. The title was something like Aviation before the Wright Brothers, Military Aviation before the Wright Brothers, something like that. The Wrights may not have even been in the title.
I looked in the Norfolk library's online catalog, but couldn't find the book. I did find this book (below). Maybe it is the same book I remember, but I'm not sure. The book I remember seemed to cover aviation throughout the world.
The United States Army air arm, April 1861 to April 1917 / Juliette A. Hennessy.
Publication Information: Washington, D.C. : Office of Air Force History, U.S. Air Force, 1985.
ISBN: 091279934X