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Donald L. Miller

Masters of the Air

How the Bomber Boys Broke Down the Nazi War Machine

£115

Introduced By Tom Hanks & Kirk Saduski

They flew through flak and fire in the deadliest skies of the Second World War. With an introduction by Tom Hanks, aviation art by Gil Cohen and a detailed fold-out of B-17 aircraft plans, Masters of the Air is a powerful, image-rich tribute to the bomber crews of the Eighth Air Force who helped turn the tide of the war.

Perfect Additions

Band of Brothers
Stephen E. Ambrose
The Right Stuff
Tom Wolfe
Dispatches
Michael Herr
Fatherland
Robert Harris

Masters of the Air

£115
Book Details
 
Production DetailsBound in printed and blocked cloth
Blocked slipcase
Fold-out aeroplane plans in a separate blocked pocket
Dimensions10 inches × 6¾ inches (25.4 × 17.2 cm)
FontTypeset in Utopia with Franklin Gothic as display
Pages728
AuthorDonald L. Miller
IllustrationPhotographic title page spread and 32 pages of black and white photographs, many previously unpublished
1 double-page spread aviation painting by Gil Cohen
2 black and white integrated maps
1 diagram
Publication Date03/03/2026
PrintingFirst Printing
Synopsis
 
They flew at 25,000 feet through freezing, flak-filled skies, undertaking one of the most dangerous roles of the Second World War. In Masters of the Air, historian Donald L. Miller tells the gripping story of the Eighth Air Force: the bomber crews who took the fight to Nazi Germany from bases across England.

Unlike infantry soldiers, these airmen returned each night to warm beds and swing bands, but faced extraordinary odds every time they climbed into their Flying Fortresses. Miller traces their journeys from perilous missions to prisoner-of-war camps and back again, revealing both the thrill and the terror of the world's first true bomber war.

Drawing on personal letters, interviews and international archives, this is a deeply human account of courage, sacrifice and the brutal cost of strategic air power – a story that shaped the outcome of the war, and the lives of those who survived it.
Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

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Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

2 of 8

Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

3 of 8

Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

4 of 8

Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

5 of 8

Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

6 of 8

Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

7 of 8

Editor's Notes

For fans of Band of Brothers, this is your next magnificent read, the story of the WW2 American air war in Europe. Like Band of Brothers, Masters of the Air follows a close-knit group of men, the Hundredth Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force, sent to England to join what would turn out to be the longest battle of the war. The day-to-day lives of the airmen, their struggle with flak, fighters and the weather, the legendary Flying Fortresses, the terror and exhilaration of combat – Masters of the Air brings all of this to life.

In collaboration with the author, we've brought together some incredible elements: exclusive introductions from Tom Hanks and Kirk Saduski; a new photo selection chosen and captioned by the author, many images drawn from the archives of the 100th Bomb Group, the Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force and the National WW2 Museum; a magnificent piece of aviation art from one of the masters, Gil Cohen; and a large foldout colour illustration in a separate pouch of original cutaways of the inside of a Flying Fortress. This is the ultimate fan's version.

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About the Author

Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Emeritus Professor of History at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and one of the most respected authorities on World War II, the Civil War and Modern US History. His books have been nominated for, and won, a number of prestigious literary awards and he is a frequent consultant and adviser on historical productions for PBS, HBO, The History Channel and Apple TV. Miller is widely acclaimed for his books on World War II, most notably the bestselling Masters of the Air: How the Bomber Boys Broke Down the Nazi War Machine (2007; Folio 2026). Miller previously worked with Spielberg and Hanks as a historical consultant for the ten-part HBO series The Pacific. He was also the on-camera historian, writer and chief consultant for the series' accompanying documentary.

Miller has won awards for excellence in teaching, several fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, and a number of prestigious book awards. He was a resident scholar at All Souls College, Oxford, and was the Crayenborgh Lecturer at Leiden University, The Netherlands. He also lectured internationally for the U.S. State Department and the Smithsonian Institution. His essays and reviews have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and other national publications.

Donald L. Miller
‘... I could not be more pleased with the enhancements that have transformed “Masters of the Air”, here introduced by Tom Hanks, producer of the film faithfully based on the book, into a collector’s delight: from the quality of paper and print, to the striking new artwork, to the handsome sleeve, and to the magnificent new photographs and illustrations, many in print for the first time. Working on this new edition with the Folio Society’s highly professional and deeply dedicated team was pure delight.’
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