An illustrated celebration of the golden age of aircraft, cars and locomotives from 1900 to 1945. A richly illustrated book which describes and depicts the flourishing of engineering, transport and travel in the first half of the twentieth century. Intended as a celebration of both machines and mechanisms, as much as the social change and cultural impact they precipitated, James Hamilton-Paterson explores the pinnacle of the steam engine, the advent and boom of the motor car and the excitement of early airplanes. James Hamilton-Paterson, author of the bestselling Empire of the Clouds , has a knowledge of machines that is second to none and has the unique ability to write about engineering, motors and mechanics in an evocative and memorable way.