Air Force (U.S. Military Series) [Hardcover]

James Mccarthy (Editor)

Book Description

Series: U.S. Military Series | Publication Date: September 10, 2002

Now, more than 50 years after its founding, the United States Air Force celebrates its spirit and essence in this deluxe-format book. Essays on Air Force history and today’s aviators focus not only on the planes, helicopters, rockets, and technology but also on the special people that make it all work. Hundreds of full-color and vintage photography, portraits, recruiting posters, and historically inspired paintings complement the informative text. Written by a team of qualified historians, specialized authors, and associated experts, The Air Force links pilots past and present to America’s first brave flyers, the Wright brothers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is a lavishly illustrated but somewhat perfunctory history of perhaps the most glamorous of the Armed Forces. The essays here, written by academics and military officers in the inelegant style of a Pentagon press briefing, follow the Air Force as it evolved from biplanes to ballistic missiles, and cover air campaigns from World War II through Operation Enduring Freedom. The articles are evasive, and can be a bit dull; administrative reshufflings are extensively covered, for example, but the fierce controversies surrounding the doctrine of strategic bombing and the Air Force's leveling of cities from Hiroshima to Hanoi get short shrift. Armchair aces will be somewhat disappointed by the focus on institutional history, which keeps the narrative more often at headquarters than in the cockpit. The few combat vignettes are perfunctory, and more attention is given to the development of mid-air refueling than to dog-fighting tactics. And while the book includes many full-color reproductions of sleek warplanes, the technical data-the details of speed, climb rate, payload and armament that entrance fetishists-is skimpy and badly organized. This tome is impressive looking, but may fail to satisfy either the historically minded reader or the military aviation buff.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Universe; First edition. Beaux Arts Edition. edition (September 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883631040
• ISBN-13: 978-0883631041
• Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 11.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,166,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Air Force, December 6, 2002

By 

"ryan123456" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Force (U.S. Military Series) (Hardcover)

This is an outstanding book. The photos are captivating and the text informative. I went to the company website,... , and read the reviews before I bought this for my brother at the Air Force Academy. I have to agree with Chuck Yeager's analysis of the book when he said, "That is one hell of a book! After sixty years in cockpits, flying every plane in the Air Force, I have seen everything. All of it is captured beautifully in the photos, paintings, and stories of this terrific book."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book - for what it is supposed to be., May 9, 2004

By 

FR (Florida, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Air Force (U.S. Military Series) (Hardcover)

This book (which you are much better off purchasing here on Amazon than at a retail bookstore) achieves exactly what it was designed to be - a coffee table book. Granted, it is a large, impressive, authoritative, glossy coffee table book, and it is NOT - as lamented by some reviewers - designed to be an exhaustive tome covering every historical nuance down to the color of Hap Arnold's socks on a Saturday morning in 1942. Even the Air Force Historical Foundation describes the book as a "coffee table" book. It has more than enough beautiful full-color photos and depictions to keep a recipient happy, but hardcore history buffs, especially those looking for more informal, off-the-record accounts of Air Force development and evolution, will want to look elsewhere. For the rest of us, this book will provide hours of entertainment, for its sheer mass alone.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for Air Force Buffs, April 4, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Air Force (U.S. Military Series) (Hardcover)

This is a great book for Air Force Buffs. It may not be an exhaustive history but is still a great book. The lavish pictures are great to explore. If you have an interest in "the wild blue yonder" that is based on fact and not fiction, this may be a great choice for you. The book is awesome in appearance also.