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The Zeppelin
This new publication from Michael Belafi offers some truly intriguing content. Photographs of the mighty Zeppelin at all stages of development feature in a publication that aims to chart the entire course of the airship's history. Named after the German Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin, an early pioneer of rigid airship development, the Zeppelin was first flown commercially by Deutsch Luftschiffahrts (DELAG), the world's first airline in revenue service. By mid-1914, DELAG had carried over 10,000 fare-paying passengers on over 1500 flights. When war hit, it was employed to military advantage, wreaking carnage upon Britain's towns and cities. German defeat in 1918 temporarily halted the airship business (many had to be surrendered under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles), although it did bounce back with the construction of the Graf Zeppelin in the 30s. A series of terrible accidents was soon to signal the demise of the Zeppelin however; following the Hindenburg disaster of 1937, and in the midst of a host of political and economic issues, the Zeppelin was soon to be consigned to the history books as one of the great aviation relics of the 20th Century. This new publication explores each facet of its history, and concludes by assessing the legacy of rigid airship development, still felt to this day.
211 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 16, 2025
This book as exactly what I was hoping it would be; it is a fantastic collection of photographs and other records of von Zeppelin's creations.
The Count's entire life up until the first prototypes are covered in a single chapter, which gives the reader enough background to understand some of Zeppelin's connections that he could later use to his advantage, while clearly not being the main subject of the book.
The rest of the bulk of the book is a fantastically told narrative of of each of the early airship designs and their prototypes, operational history, and often unfortunate ends. It is a very engaging story, as despite the ultimate success of Zeppelin's designs, many years of early development were uphill battles for monetary support and professional endorsements from leading figures in the fields of physics and early aeronautics. The book also does well to briefly inform the reader of contemporary competitors, and somewhat more in depth the Zeppelin businesses that evolved over the years (did you know that there were Zeppelin companies manufacturing more traditional aircraft instead of airships in WWI?).
The worst I could say about the books as it covers the topic, is that it may be lighter on the technical side of things than some readers may be looking for. For example while nearly every model of airship is described by dimensions and major control surface designs, it does not explain the different class designations that existed.
The book finishes with a brief chapter on the Zeppelin legacy (both the original companies and the airships designs) as it existed from the 1990s through to the books time of publication.
There are a few minor editing errors in the book; as it is a translated work some of the passages are awkward to an English reader, and there were a couple of repeated photographs where it was clearly as error as the captions did not match what was shown. These errors pale in comparison to the amazing work of collected photographs, letters, documents, and narrative that this book provides.
The Count's entire life up until the first prototypes are covered in a single chapter, which gives the reader enough background to understand some of Zeppelin's connections that he could later use to his advantage, while clearly not being the main subject of the book.
The rest of the bulk of the book is a fantastically told narrative of of each of the early airship designs and their prototypes, operational history, and often unfortunate ends. It is a very engaging story, as despite the ultimate success of Zeppelin's designs, many years of early development were uphill battles for monetary support and professional endorsements from leading figures in the fields of physics and early aeronautics. The book also does well to briefly inform the reader of contemporary competitors, and somewhat more in depth the Zeppelin businesses that evolved over the years (did you know that there were Zeppelin companies manufacturing more traditional aircraft instead of airships in WWI?).
The worst I could say about the books as it covers the topic, is that it may be lighter on the technical side of things than some readers may be looking for. For example while nearly every model of airship is described by dimensions and major control surface designs, it does not explain the different class designations that existed.
The book finishes with a brief chapter on the Zeppelin legacy (both the original companies and the airships designs) as it existed from the 1990s through to the books time of publication.
There are a few minor editing errors in the book; as it is a translated work some of the passages are awkward to an English reader, and there were a couple of repeated photographs where it was clearly as error as the captions did not match what was shown. These errors pale in comparison to the amazing work of collected photographs, letters, documents, and narrative that this book provides.
August 8, 2018
really interesting and comprehensive story of the Zeppelin and the amazing technology it was, especially for its time. So many historical photos. Love it.
May 21, 2025
Detailed but interesting. A piece of the aviation puzzle.
September 11, 2016
Enjoyable history of the Zeppelin family, business, technology, and even workers' settlements. The translation to English was a little awkward at times but the underlying history was very good as were the selection of photos.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews