While other books have addressed various aspects of the subject, such as specific aircraft or warfare in specific wars, this book is the first to take a comprehensive look at strategic bombing from its beginnings to the present. Written by a historian, who is also an expert on the technology of bombing and its application, the work covers the theory, hardware, and operations of strategic bombing. While the author, a former U.S. Air Force pilot, focuses primarily on American aircraft and activities, he includes the strategic bombardment efforts of Great Britain, Germany, and Russia, as he places the topic into a larger context and also covers air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missiles. More than a chronological narrative, this study offers a critical analysis and concludes by calling into question the value of strategic bombardment.