Polmar, a consultant in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields, and Bell, an archivist for the National Air and Space Museum, describe 100 significant military aircraft, from the first controlled flights at Kitty Hawk to the present, and present b&w photos of each. The authors have selected aircraft that were the first of their type, or the largest, or that had the best performance, or that most influenced political and military decisions and public attitudes to aviation. Civilian aircraft and experimental and research aircraft have been excluded. Some of the book's entries draw heavily on the column "Historic Aircraft," published in Naval History . Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)