"Through meticulous research," the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist "brings to light the history of aviation weapons" in this "well written" account ( Library Journal). A New York Times Notable Book Barons of the Sky captures the stories of the pioneers who built the major corporations of the American aerospace industry. Wayne Biddle covers everything from post–World War I, to production escalation in World War II, to the postwar struggle to find a consumer market. Detailing the careers of the men whose names became synonymous with today's military-industrial complex—Glenn Martin of Martin Marietta, Donald Douglas of McDonnell Douglas, Jack Northrop of Northrop, and Allan and Malcolm Loughead of Lockheed—Biddle narrates the gripping story of men who, propelled by ambition and the possibilities of flight, created the modern aeronautics weapons industry.