In War of the Aeronauts: A History of Ballooning in the Civil War, Charles M. Evans expands upon his 1996 article, "Air War Over Virginia," that first appeared in the Civil War Times Illustrated. Evans draws upon extensive primary resources, including chief Union aeronaut Thaddeus S.C. Lowe's unpublished memoirs, correspondence between military commanders and the aeronauts, the archives of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and contemporary newspapers. His account of the use of lighter-than-air surveillance during the U.S. Civil War remains the most well-researched and extensive. Evans nicely updates and expands upon Frederick Stansbury Haydon's 1941 volume, Aeronautics in the Union and Confederate Armies. Those with an interest in Civil War ballooning or the history of flight will find this book a must-read. ( )