BALLISTICS OF THE FUTURE: WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE DYNAMICAL AND PHYSICAL THEORY OF THE ROCKET WEAPONS. Haarlem, Holland: The Technical Publishing Company H. Stam, [1946]. Octavo, pp. [1-6] 7-472, 20 illustrations and 172 figures, several of the latter on eight folded plates inserted at rear, three folded maps at rear, original black cloth stamped in red and gold. First edition. This is one of a few copies with a full-page presentation plate affixed to the front paste-down, this one presented to Dr. J. D. Ruys and signed by both authors. One of the earliest postwar books on rocketry. An important work that "provides detailed information on V-2 design and operations (including maps of launch sites), the use of rockets for space travel, and a mathematical analysis of rocket dynamics" (Ciancone). "This book by two Dutch scientists who witnessed the V-2 firings from Dutch soil ranks with the major works of Oberth and Esnault-Pelterie. It is a rather complete exposition of vector calculus, exterior ballistics. The chapters on V-1 and V-2 are complete to small design detail, such as wiring diagrams of electric equipment" (Ley). "Deals mainly with methods of calculating trajectories of large rockets and is excellent on this topic. Section on thermodynamics is unreliable and the description of V1 and V2 are most uneven in detail" (Humphries). Published in the U.S. by McGraw-Hill in 1946. Ciancone 116. Humphries, Rockets and Guided Missiles 16. Ley, Rockets, Missiles, and Space Travel, revised edition, 1957, p. 492. A bright, nearly fine copy. Copies with presentation plates are rare. (#160964).
Price: $2,250.00
No statement of printing.