In 100 Years of Air Power and Aviation Robin Higham presents a 
critical history of British, American, Soviet, German, Italian, French, 
Japanese, and Israeli aviation. He moves easily from theory to 
concrete example and back again, in the process discussing the 
social, economic, and political components of air power, the major 
wars and police actions in which aircraft have been employed, the 
composition of air forces, and the creation of aviation industries 
from the Wright brothers and the early pusher aircraft of World War 
I through Boeing’s competition with Airbus and the development of 
the Eurofighter.

    In this large, informative, heavily illustrated volume, Higham 
looks at everything from the roots of strategic bombing and tactical 
air power to the lessons learned and unlearned during the invasion 
of Ethiopia, the war in China, and the Spanish Civil War. He also 
considers the problems posed by jet aircraft in Korea and the use of 
Patriot missiles in the Persian Gulf. He covers anti-guerrilla 
operations, doctrine, industrial activities, and equipment, as well as 
the development of commercial airlines.

    Turning his attention to civil aviation in the closing section, 
Higham discusses the commercial “wars” that saw Braniff fold as 
Continental filed for bankruptcy and Brazil’s Embraer emerge as a 
third-world success story. He considers the rise and fall of Soviet 
civil aviation. He discusses the development of new aircraft and the 
expansion of airports such as O’Hare, which handles more than 
200,000 passengers daily.

    Higham synthesizes a hundred years of air power and aviation 
into cogent sets of principles and valuable lessons for future 
generations of airmen and politicians. Like his earlier works, this 
book will capture the interest of scholars, students, enthusiasts, and 
general readers looking for a serious overview by one of the 
country’s leading aviation historians.

_________________________________________________________

ROBIN HIGHAM, a former RAF pilot, holds a Ph.D. from Harvard 
and is professor emeritus at Kansas State University. He is widely 
credited with having established aviation history as an academic 
discipline. He lives in Manhattan, Kansas.


Number Five: Centennial of Flight Series


What people are saying about this book

“This profusely illustrated study captures the imagination of the
reader and should prove to be an authoritative work for anyone wishing
to understand the first century of air power and aviation.”—Military
Heritage

“Students of all levels—begin or continue your exploration here. 
Encyclopedic in scope and global in range, this revised, updated, 
and expanded edition incorporates the most recent scholarship into 
a complete and critical survey of aviation and air power in the 
twentieth century and beyond.”—Stephen L. McFarland

“Higham wears his learning lightly in this stimulating and well-
written analysis of air power’s increasingly connected military and 
civil roles in the twentieth century.”—Dennis Showalter

“The depth, clarity, and intellectual richness of this opus is 
impressive.”—Roger D. Launius