Book offers a fascinating account of the form of the airplane, an object that has quickly developed from a flimsy contraption of wood, wire, and canvas into a machine compounded of exotic materials whose wings can touch the edges of space. Author considers the subject from a number of perspectives: as an inspiration for artists, architects, and politicians; as a miracle of engineering; as a product of industrialized culture; as a device of military power; and as an instance of sublime technology. Profusely illustrated and authoritatively written, Aircraft offers not just a fresh account of aeronautical design but also provides a cultural history of an object whose very shape contains the dreams and nightmares of the modern age.