Subject: The Dream Machines: book on vaporware spacecraft

From: [email-masked] (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey)
Date: 28 Apr 93 10:56:59 -0600

Ron Miller is a space artist with a long and distinguished career.  
I've admired both his paintings (remember the USPS Solar System
Exploration Stamps last year?) and his writings on the history of
spaceflight.  For several years he's been working on a *big* project
which is almost ready to hit the streets.  A brochure from his
publisher has landed in my mailbox, and I thought it was cool enough
to type in part of it (it's rather long).  Especially given the Net's
strong interest in vaporware spacecraft...

                 ==================================

                         The Dream Machines:
An Illustrated History of the Spaceship in Art, Science, and Literature

                            By Ron Miller
                  with Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke

Krieger Publishing Company
Melbourne, Florida, USA
Orig. Ed. 1993
Pre-publication $84.50
ISBN 0-89464-039-9

This text is a history of the spaceship as both a cultural and a
technological phenomenon.  The idea of a vehicle for traversing the
space betwen worlds did not spring full-blown into existence in the
tlatter half of theis century.  The need preceded the ability ot make
such a device by several hundred years.  As soon as it was realized
that there were other worlds than this one, human beings wanted to
reach them.   

Tracing the history of the many imaginative, and often prescient,
attempts to solve this problem also reflects the history of
technology, science, astronomy, and engineering.  Once space travel
became feasible, there were many more spacecraft concepts developed
than ever got off the drawing board-- or off the ground, for that
matter.  These also are described in theis book, for the same reason
as the pre-space-age and pre-flight ideas are:  they are all accurate
reflections of their particular era's dreams, abilities, and
knowledge.  Virtually every spaceship concept invented since 1500, as
well as selected events important in developing the idea of
extraterrestrial travel, is listed chronologically.  The chronological
entries allow comparisons between actual astronautical events and
speculative ventures.  They also allow comparisons between
simultaneous events taking place in different countries.  They reveal
connections, influences, and evolutions hitherto unsuspected.  Every
entry is accompanied by at least one illustration.  Nearly every
spacecraft concept is illustrated with a schematic drawing.  This
allows accurate comparisons to be made between designss, to visualize
differences, similarities, and influences.

This text will be of interest to students of astronautical history,
and also to model builders who would be interested in the schematic
diagrams.   Science fiction fans as well as aviation history buffs and
historians of science will also find this book to be fascinating.  The
unique collection of illustrations makes it a visually attractive and
very interesting history of the spaceship.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Includes scale drawings of several hundred spacecraft, both real and
fictional

Contains scores of illustrations: artwork, drawings, and photos
contemporary with the subject.  This includes extremely rare
illustrations from scarce books and novels, exclusive photos and
drawings fromSoviet spacecraft; rare stills from both famous and
obscure science fiction films, and unpublished photographs from NASA
archives

An index, bibliography, and appendices are included.

CONTENTS

Part I  The Archaeology of the Spaceship (360 B.C. to 1783 A.D.)
Part II The invention of the Spaceship (1784-1899)
Part III The Experimenters (1900-1938)
Part IV The World War (1939-1945)
Part V  The Golden Age of the Spaceship (1946-1960)
Part VI The Dawn of the Space Age (1961 to the present)

ABOUT RON MILLER

[The brochure has a page of stuff here; I'll try to hit the high
spots.]

Former art director for Albert Einstein Planetarium  at Smithsonian's
National Air and Space Museum

Member of International Association for Astronomical Arts, member of
International Astronautical Association, Fellow of the British
Interplanetary Society,  consulting editor for *Air & Space
Smithsonian* magazine

Author, co-author, editor, or sole illustrator on many books since
1979, including *Space Art*, *Cycles of Fire*, *The Grand Tour*, and
many others, as well as many articles and papers

Book jackets and interior art for over a dozen publishers 

Contributor to IBM traveling exhibition and book *Blueprint for Space*

Production illustrator for movies *Dune* and *Total Recall*

Designer of ten-stamp set of commemorative space postage stamps for
U.S. Postal Service in 1991 (Solar System Exploration)

ORDERING INFORMATION

Pre-publication price $84.50 before 1 May 1993
Afterwards, price will be $112.50

Krieger Publishing Company
PO Box 9542
Melbourne, FL 32902-9542
USA
Direct order line (407)727-7270
Fax (407)951-3671

Add $5.00 for shipping by UPS within USA for first book, $1.50 for each
additional book.  

For foreign orders, add $6.00 for first book, $2.00 for each
additional.  Additional charges for airmail shipments.

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