Rocketing Into the Future: The History and Technology of Rocket Planes 2012th Edition

From the reviews:

“Whatever level of interest you have in rocket-powered human aviation (and hence spaceflight), this book covers it. For someone getting into the subject for the first time there is more than enough detail … . the book gives the basics of aeronautics and rocketry, which are well-explained with some helpful line diagrams. … British Interplanetary Society members are no doubt familiar with Skylon; if you are not you will be once you have read this book!” (Malcolm Smith, Astronomy Now, July, 2013)

“This book covers the history of rocket planes from earliest endeavors to the present designs of suborbital rocket planes marketed for space tourism purposes. … The book is well written, well organized, and well illustrated. A useful resource for people interested in both aviation history and the history of space technology. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.” (A. M. Strauss, Choice, Vol. 50 (4), December, 2012)

Rocketing into the Future journeys into the exciting world of rocket planes, examining the exotic concepts and actual flying vehicles that have been devised over the last one hundred years. Lavishly illustrated with over 150 photographs, it recounts the history of rocket planes from the early pioneers who attached simple rockets on to their wooden glider airplanes to the modern world of high-tech research vehicles.

The book then looks at the possibilities for the future. The technological and economic challenges of the Space Shuttle proved insurmountable, and thus the program was unable to fulfill its promise of low-cost access to space. However, the burgeoning market of suborbital space tourism may yet give the necessary boost to the development of a truly reusable spaceplane.