The Best Drone Books of 2014

books-on-a-bookshelf-pic-getty-images-174065947

By Dan Gettinger, @GettDan

An abundance of books on drones have been published this year. These publications deal with a host of issues ranging from the legal and ethical dimensions of targeted killing to practical guides for budding drone hobbyists. A few of these books take a longer view of the drone. For example, in Predator, Richard Whittle profiles America’s most lethal drone.The American Way of Bombing contains a series of essays that address the history of aerial bombardment. The books listed below are a diverse collection of perspectives and approaches to the issues surrounding drones. For anybody looking to bulk up on your drone knowledge this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of this year’s noteworthy drone books, as well as a few standouts from years past.

Published This Year

Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution

Richard Whittle

Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition edition (September 16, 2014)

For our interview with Richard Whittle, click here.

 

Drone Warfare

John Kaag and Sarah Kreps

Polity; 1 edition (August 11, 2014)

 

 

Drone Wars: Transforming Conflict, Law, and Policy

Peter Bergen (Editor), Daniel Rothenberg (Editor)

Cambridge University Press (December 8, 2014)

 

 

The American Way of Bombing: Changing Ethical and Legal Norms, from Flying Fortresses to Drones

Matthew Evangelista (Editor), Henry Shue (Editor)

Cornell University Press; 1 edition (August 19, 2014)

 

 

Drones and Targeted Killings

Sarah Knuckey

IDEA Publications (December 19, 2014)

 

 

Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues

Edited by Marjorie Cohn, foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Olive Branch Pr (November 3, 2014)

 

 

Sting of the Drone

Richard A. Clarke

Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (May 13, 2014)

For our interview with Richard Clarke, click here.

 

The Beginner’s Guide to FPV

Alex Protogerellis

lulu.com (March 17, 2014)

 

 

Drone University

John M. Glover

DroneUniversity (October 18, 2014)

 

 

 

Disaster Robotics (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents series)

Robin R. Murphy

The MIT Press (February 14, 2014)

 

 

Drone / UAV Dictionary: Includes 300 Commercial UAV Applications

Dr. Jerry LeMieux

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (May 9, 2014)

 

 

Classics

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century

Peter W. Singer

Penguin Books; Reprint edition (December 29, 2009)

 

 

Kill or Capture: The War on Terror and the Soul of the Obama Presidency

Daniel Klaidman

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 1 edition (June 5, 2012)

For our interview with Daniel Klaidman, click here.

 

Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control

Medea Benjamin

Verso; Fully revised and updated edition (April 9, 2013)

For our interview with Medea Benjamin, click here.

 

Predator: The Remote-Control Air War over Iraq and Afghanistan: A Pilot’s Story

Matt J. Martin and Charles W. Sasser

Zenith Press; First edition (November 12, 2010)

 

 

On the Horizon

A Theory of the Drone

Grégoire Chamayou

New Press, The (January 6, 2015)

 

 

Drone (Object Lessons)

Adam Rothstein

Bloomsbury Academic (January 29, 2015)

For our conversation with Adam Rothstein, click here.

 

Building Your Own Drones: A Beginners’ Guide to Drones, UAVs, and ROVs

John Baichtal

Que Publishing; 1 edition (May 11, 2015)

[includeme file=”tools/sympa/drones_sub.php”]