Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jet Age | 1979 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 2 | Flying, An Introduction To Flight, Airplanes, And Aviation Careers | 1980 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 3 | Messerschmitt Me 262 | 1980 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 4 | Boeing B 52 | 1981 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 5 | The Aircraft Treasures of Silver Hill | 1982 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 6 | Vertical Flight | 1984 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 7 | De Havilland Dh-4 | 1984 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 8 | Phantom in Combat | 1985 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 9 | The Leading Edge | 1986 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 10 | The Smithsonian Book Of Flight | 1987 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 11 | The Smithsonian Book of Flight for Young People | 1988 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 12 | Power Behind The Wheel | 1988 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 13 | Classic Aircraft | 1990 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 14 | Flight | 1990 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 15 | Weapons of Desert Storm | 1991 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 16 | Gulf War | 1991 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 17 | Air Force Eagles | 1992 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 18 | Art in Flight | 1992 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 19 | Silver Wings | 1993 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 20 | Clash of Wings | 1994 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 21 | Clash of Titans | 1995 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 22 | Fly Past, Fly Present | 1995 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 23 | Beyond The Wild Blue | 1997 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 24 | Beyond The Horizon | 1998 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 25 | Brassey’s Air Combat Reader | 1999 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 26 | German Aircraft and Armament | 2000 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 27 | Classic Airplanes | 2001 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 28 | Aces In Command | 2001 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 29 | The Best of “Wings” Magazine | 2001 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 30 | Air Warfare | 2002 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 31 | The Yom Kippur War | 2002 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 32 | The Influence of Air Power Upon History | 2003 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 33 | Rising Tide | 2003 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 34 | Operation Iraqi Freedom | 2003 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 35 | Today’s Best Military Writing | 2004 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 36 | Chronicle of Flight | 2005 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 37 | Soaring to Glory | 2008 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 38 | Air Combat Reader | 2009 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 39 | How The Helicopter Changed Modern Warfare | 2011 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 40 | The 25 Most Influential Aircraft of All Time | 2018 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
| 41 | Golden Age of Flight | 2020 | Walter J. Boyne | Buy |
Walter J. Boyne’s non-fiction output is enormous — 41 books covering nearly every aspect of aviation and military air power. His subjects range from specific aircraft like the Messerschmitt Me 262 and Boeing B-52 to broad histories like Clash of Wings and Beyond The Wild Blue. The Smithsonian Book of Flight, written during his tenure as museum director, became his most widely read work.
His later non-fiction includes books on the Yom Kippur War, the Iraq War, and the history of helicopters in combat. Boyne wrote with the authority of someone who had both flown the aircraft and studied the history, a combination that made his books popular with general readers and aviation enthusiasts alike.