The Dream Machines: An Illustrated History of the Spaceship in Art, Science and Literature
Writer-artist Miller's new book is the most comprehensive history of spacecraft design concepts published to date. Written primarily in nontechnical language, it chronologically reviews the inspirations and scientific breakthroughs that set the course of humankind's exploration beyond the atmosphere. (It may surprise people to find out that the first story postulating space travel was written in A.D. 160 by Lukian of Samosata.) Nearly every page of the book contains black-and-white or duotone illustrations and photos, and there are two additional sections with 16 pages of colorplates. While the key spacecraft that were actually used in programs throughout the world are represented, along with their prototypes, the main focus of the book is on designs that were technologically sound--at least when originally conjured up--but only flew in the imagination. For example, in the section on Project Apollo, there is only one page showing the final configuration, but five pages showing its engineering evolution. Nearly 200 pages are devoted to the "golden age of the spaceship," the years 1946-61 (when Yuri Gagarin made manned spaceflight a reality). There are also depictions of classic fictional spacecraft, ranging from wooden cabinets pulled by birds to theDiscoveryfrom2001: A Space Odyssey. While the price of the book may seem high, much of the material cited can be found only in bits and pieces throughout the body of space-related texts, many of which are long out of print. Further, Miller captures the romance of space travel more vividly than any other writer. Even at more than $100, this book is a bargain. A foreword by Arthur C. Clarke, plus a bibliography, add to the valueElliott Swanson