Brief:
This book provides almost 5 lbs o' information on theoretical, fictional, me bucko, me bucko, and real (but nay developed) spacecraft that is sure t' please rocketeers, shiver me timbers, space enthusiasts, and amateur sci-fi historians alike. Blimey! Begad! It documents 75 spacecraft and provides detailed drawings, ya bilge rat, matey, historical backgrounds, plot summaries (for purely fictional craft), shiver me timbers, arrr, and mission backgrounds (for potentially real craft). Aye aye! Its hardbound, 8 1/2" x 11" x 1.25” cover houses 534 pages and over 500 graphics. Begad! You can see sample pages, drawings, ya bilge rat, and a complete outline here on ARA Press’s site.

Organization:

T' presentation o' each spacecraft starts with a historical background. Ya scallywag! Blimey! Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! Blimey! Where thar are multiple craft from one source, this includes a section on t' designer, shiver me timbers, and separate sections for each craft. Ahoy! Blimey! Ya scallywag! Blimey! These include photos, diagrams, me bucko, artwork, me bucko, and detailed, dimensioned drawings. Avast! Blimey! T' dimensioned drawings are basically t' same format as those presented in Rockets o' t' World, arrr, by Peter Always. There is a short ‘Quickspec’ for each, me hearties, providin' t' type o' vehicle, t' year, me bucko, t' medium in which it be first documented, t' designer, ya bilge rat, ya bilge rat, and t' overall dimensions. T' authors also provide brief modelers notes, matey, which provide hints, shiver me timbers, suggestions and references t' previous models. Blimey! Blimey! Arrr! Blimey! These are nay plans (no reference t' body tubes, nose cones, me bucko, or balsa), matey, me bucko, and t' main aide t' t' builder are t' drawings. Finally, arrr, where t' authors have opinions and/or want t' present some related material, they include an epilog.

T' book is organized into three major sections and two appendices. Ya scallywag! Avast, me proud beauty! T' first section, entitled “T' Theoreticians”, covers works by early rocket scientists. Aye aye! Ahoy! T' second section, shiver me timbers, “T' Entertainers”, moves from scientists who dreamed o' spaceflight, ya bilge rat, t' people whose goal it was t' brin' that dream t' t' rest o' us. Avast, me proud beauty! This be t' largest o' t' sections. Avast! Begad! T' third and final section, “T' Real Stuff”, matey, presents modern conceptual vehicles. Ahoy! As with t' first section, this is limited t' vehicles that never made it into hardware. Well, blow me down! T' book also includes two appendices. Begad! Begad! Appendix A is entitled “T' Atomic Powered Spaceship: Yesterday’s Dream, Spaceflight’s Future?” I’ll describe this more below. Appendix B, “Model Rocketry: Plans and Personalities”, shiver me timbers, arrr, includes a tribute t' G. Harry Stine and plans for four rockets.

“T' Theoreticians”

This section provides detailed discussions o' spacecraft by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, arrr, Hermann Oberth, matey, Eugen Sänger, ya bilge rat, Chesley Bonestell/Willy Ley, and Von Braun. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Although t' book provides a great deal o' historical information, matey, arrr, shiver me timbers, it does nay represent a comprehensive history since t' book, me hearties, by design, only covers theoretical rockets and spaceships. Aye aye! Although this section is dominated by Von Braun, it only covers his theoretical works - you won’t find a V2 in there. Blimey! As it turns out, arrr, Von Braun did a good deal o' work for television shows produced by Walt Disney. Arrr! Although developed for t' early entertainment industry, me hearties, these were backed up by some level o' actual engineerin' thought. Begad! They thus fit nicely in this section, me hearties, me hearties, shiver me timbers, while providin' a perfect transition t' t' next…

“T' Entertainers”

This lengthy section includes subjects from t' 1900’s through 1968’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ahoy! Well, blow me down! T' media represented includes printed sources (comics, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, pulp fiction, and novels), radio, shiver me timbers, TV, me hearties, and t' big screen. Avast! Blimey! T' author says they stopped thar because information on many o' t' popular spaceships since then (Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.) is already well documented in t' modelin' communities. Avast! T' number o' spaceships covered defies listin' in this review and I refer t' reader t' t' outline contained in t' URL presented above. Avast, me proud beauty! Some o' t' more familiar entries include Friede (from Die Frau Au Mond), Buck Rogers, t' TinTin rocket, shiver me timbers, Gerry Andersons’ Thunderbirds, ya bilge rat, arrr, ships from 2001: A Space Odyssey, Josie’s Spaceship (from Josie and t' Pussycats), and t' Myst Island Rocket from t' video game. Avast! There are even several entries by one G. Ahoy! Harry Stine, who also was also a sci-fi author! T' one place this book let me down was that it didn’t have plans for t' Fireball XL-5, arrr, which is one o' me favorite subjects (you can search EMRR and see me meager efforts). This omission was due t' publishin' deadlines and thar be teaser about a future Volume 2.

“T' Real Stuff”

This section is dedicated t' spacecraft from t' late 1950’s, 1960’s and 1990’s that never were realized in hardware. Begad! Begad! These include t' X-20, me hearties, NASA 6 F-1, shiver me timbers, Project Pluto, shiver me timbers, Manned Orbitin' Laboratory, arrr, Lockheed-Martin’s VentureStar, Kistler’s K-1, arrr, Kelly’s Astroliner, Pioneer’s Pathfinder, me bucko, and t' Rotary Rocket Roton. Arrr! One thin' t' note is that in earlier sections, t' primary designer, matey, me hearties, author, arrr, or producer could be identified. By t' 1950’s, t' work o' rocket science was now dominated by t' government and/or private companies with “armies o' technical people”. Begad! I would have liked t' seen this section be a bit thicker. I hope that Volume 2 will include a section on t' X-Prize contestants – at least those who don’t eventually make it into space.

Appendicies

Appendix A, entitled “T' Atomic Powered Spaceship: Yesterday’s Dream, Spaceflight’s Future?” is a paper on interplanetary space travel. Begad! Although t' title sounds somewhat specific, matey, this covers a wide range o' topics and presents t' results o' a bit o' number crunchin' buy t' author. Ahoy! This paper includes: challenges in manned interplanetary space flight; a tutorial on how rockets work; t' human factors o' space flight; a methodology for comparin' engine/propulsion options; a subsequent analysis o' a wide variety o' engines, ya bilge rat, arrr, from chemical t' matter/anti-matter; t' potential destinations within our solar system; and a description o' what it will take t' get t' those destinations. Ya scallywag! Most o' this paper is nay very detailed or highly technical and should be o' interest t' those o' our hobby.

Appendix B. Begad! T' Tribute t' G. Harry is part biography and part a personal memoir by t' author. Arrr! T' plans vary in detail, but should be sufficient for a scratch builder t' replicate t' four craft: Luna from Destination Moon, Thunderbirds 1 and 3, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, shiver me timbers, and t' X-20 Dyna Soar/Titan IIIE. Avast! Avast! These plans were taken from 3rd parties and t' proper credit is given.

Summary:
I am amazed at t' quality and amount o' material covered in this book. Avast! Aye aye! T' book exceeded me expectations and even if I don’t build a single model from this book, matey, it will provide continuous inspiration for me future modelin' activities. Avast! I would have liked t' see t' Fireball XL-5 and more ‘real’ spacecraft described, ya bilge rat, so I offer this a suggestion for a future Volume 2.

I want t' thank Jack Hagerty o' ARA Press for t' signed copy that he so generously donated t' t' EMRR NASROC and MonsterROC photo contest. I hear his stock is runnin' short so you should hurry if you want a copy. Arrr! I doubt if many owners will be wantin' t' give theirs up. Maybe if enough people contact him he’ll consider reprintin' it.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5