Airship Technology is one of the definitive text books about airships, and this second edition includes a lot of new material. I have a copy of the original 1999 edition and it breaks down into into 18 chapters (each written by a subject matter expert) covering every topic from Basic Principles and Aerodynamics through to Piloting, Performance and Roles and Economic Considerations. It’s not a book you read from cover to cover (unless you’re really keen) but it is a valuable reference book that will become ‘well thumbed’ from taking it down to look something up. This new edition (2012) keeps almost all of the original 18 chapters and then adds several new ones covering topics like the Zeppelin NT, Heavy Lift Airships and Disaster & Humanitarian Relief. It is, without doubt, a comprehensive guide to modern airship design and operation. It’s not cheap but with Christmas coming up it may be the perfect time to add a copy to your bookshelf.