Aircraft of World War I 1914-1918
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Authors: Jack Herris & Bob Pearson
Publisher: Amber Books
ISBN: 978-1-906626-66-2
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 192
While much attention is given to detailed analyses of individual aircraft, sometimes a general encyclopedia is useful for observing trends in aviation design, colors, and markings. This is the aim of Amber Books' series, The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide, which attempts to provide as complete a picture as possible of the subject. In this case, the subject is the First World War.
The structure of the book is chronological, and the text takes the reader through the war on a battle by battle form. As aviation was still in its infancy at the beginning of the war, this book provides an excellent visual history of the development of a new technology into a weapon of war.
To describe this subject, the book can be divided into two parts. The first is the historical text, which is a very good examination of the history of aviation during the First World War. This is complemented by maps and diagrams as well as period photographs.
The other half of the book consists of the color artwork. This is where the book really shines, as nearly all photographs of the First World War are in black and white. The illustrations document pretty much every aircraft flown during WWI, and with each illustration is a data box providing basic information on the plane.
The overall result is a very impressive catalog of World War One aviation, with accurate and colorful illustrations backed by a great text. This book can be recommended for both the die hard aviation historian and those looking for an introduction to WWI aviation. My thanks to Casemate for the review copy.