The powered balloon -- Count Zeppelin and the invention of the rigid airship -- The Zeppelin as a nationalistic symbol -- The Zeppelin as a war-winning weapon -- The imitators: British military rigids -- The innovators: American military rigids -- The rigid airship in world commerce -- Does the rigid airship have a future? -- Bibliography -- Appendix A: the 161 rigid airships built and flown 1897-1940 --Appendix B: Rigid airships of other nations -- Glossary of airship terms -- Index
