This is a bit more than the coffee table book its size implies. World War I is covered quite comprehensively, with some particularly interesting pictures of, and text about, the early Russian bombers.

Once again, I am astonished at the sheer size of the Ilya Muromets, with a crew of five or six, six machine guns and a bomb load of about an old fashioned ton. This at a time when Allied aircraft could barely stagger into the sky with two people aboard and no armament! All the protagonists bombers are covered and beautifully illustrated with some profiles as well. I enjoyed the piece about the DH10 Amiens, too, and like the Dolphin reviewed elsewhere, wonder what would have happened if it had been introduced earlier.

Inevitably, the bulk of the book is taken up with more recent machines, but throughout, the pictures and writing are enjoyable. To sum up, this is a great book to browse through and an excellent introduction for encouraging further reading in a vast subject.