The brainchild of Graf von Zeppelin, dirigibles, for all their elegant majesty, were in constant search of a mission. They were used for sightseeing excursions, bombing London in World War I, exploring the Arctic, carrying airplanes, and then carrying passengers in luxurious comfort on transoceanic routes. Though each of these roles ended in a deadly catastrophe, a famously flaming one for the Hindenburg, the image of these stately behemoths persists in the imagination. Yesteryear soars spectacularly with this glossy album. Hundreds of photos restore the wonderment the zeppelins induced wherever they flew, as many frames include the gawking crowds they attracted. The text artfully supports the illustrations (and original paintings by Marschall) with details on the birth of rigid-frame designs, the delicacy of flying them, their promotion in the 1920s as superior to airplanes, and the peak of their development with the LZ 129, as the Hindenburg was designated before the Nazis pasted their flag and the wooden titan's name on it...