The fighter pilots of 1914-1918 were the heroes of a war that was unusually lacking in obvious heroes. They fought in single combat above the anonymous muddy slaughter of the Western Front, and a disproportionate number of the most successful pilots were Canadian (Bishop, Collishaw, and Barker were amongst the top five aces). Knights of the Air is a tribute to them.

Bashow, an assistant professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada, devotes one chapter to each full year of the war. In addition to the individual stories, each chapter describes the overall military situation, the strategy of the air war, and innovations in aircraft and engine design. Billy Bishop and Arthur Roy Brown also warrant a full chapter each. The text is enlivened by a wealth of fascinating period photographs and 20 modern, historically accurate sketches and paintings by artist Stephen Quick.

Knights of the Air successfully walks the fine line between lavishly illustrated coffee-table book and in-depth text. Bashow provides enough detail for the military enthusiast and plenty of exciting escapades for the general reader. For example, there is the pilot who fell out of his plane while changing an ammunition drum and was left hanging, upside down, from a wing strut. Anecdotes from the later war years become slightly repetitive, but overall, anyone with even a passing interest in Canadians who served in the First World War will want this book for their collection.