Blast Off! Rockets, Robots, Ray Guns, and Rarities from the Golden Age of Space Toys (Hardcover)

by S. Mark Young (Author), Steve Duin (Author), Mike Richardson (Author), Harlan Ellison (Author) "It is an aging collector's cliche; those nostalgia-gripped old timers reaching desperately back for their toys, searching closets and attics, antique malls and websites, for..." (more)
Key Phrases: robot art, digital visualization, rocket pistol, Buck Rogers, Dan Dare, Space Patrol (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Who could have believed that a toy robot made in Japan from scrap tin would one day fetch nearly $70,000 at a Sotheby`s auction? Blast Off! chronicles the golden era of space toys, an age of imagination unbound by the more mundane realities of space travel ushered in by Sputnik and the Space Age. Containing hundreds of striking color photos of some of the most beautiful and ofttimes bizarre toys ever created -- many never before seen in print -- Blast Off! unearths the nearly lost histories of these space treasures and the companies that created them. Not limited to the presentation of these unique and fascinating playthings of the past, Blast Off! includes one-of-a-kind prototypes, original packaging and instructions, glimpses into ultra-rare Japanese robot catalogs, long-lost advertisements, vintage comic-strip and pulp-magazine art, and items of every description from every corner of the globe. Blast Off! covers extensively some of the most profound toy and space phenomena of the era, from Buck Rogers to Flash Gordon to the Space Opera programs of the infancy of television to a blow-by-blow account of the greatest Tin Robot auction in history. Blast Off! is an essential resource not only for the collector, but for anyone with an appreciation of pop culture -- or just plain fun! * Introduction by award-wining author, futurist, and cultural commentator Harlan Ellison.

From the Publisher
Mark Young has been collecting Golden Age space toys and researching their origins and societal impact for many years. He is particularly interested in how space toys and science fiction have influenced popular culture and actual scientific progress in space. Mark holds a joint appointment as the KPMG Foundation Professor of Accounting and as Professor of Management at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (November 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569715769
• ISBN-13: 978-1569715765
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #569,362 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Has it All, October 19, 2002

By	Gord Wilson "alivingdog.com" (Bellingham, WA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Blast Off! does what other collector's books only pretend to do. Collector books usually center around value guides, and pass themselves off as glorified shopping lists for toy shows and antique malls. Other books forego any knowledge of the subject whatsoever, and go with photographic essays of the nostalgia craze. A third sort of book tells long stories about growing up in some bygone era. All three sorts of books have, understandably a small readership and limited popular appeal.

The authors of Blast Off!, on the other hand, did the hard work of writing a real book, somehow combining it with the best photos and graphics I've seen in a collector's book, and sprinkling in enough anecdotes and oral histories to keep it interesting. This book is a major effort from an accomplished team: a knowledgeable collector, a lively writer, and an avid fan and history buff--the last being Mike Richardson, publisher of Dark Horse comics and owner of the Things from Another World sci-fi comic shops.

Blast Off! launches itself as an overview/ intro to the golden age of space toys, but its appeal is really wider than that. This is a book collectors will want, not simply to locate market values for haggling at the junk shop, but to remind them what they like about their hobby. Beautiful and imaginative graphics evoke the promise and wonder of the space age, but the book is so lively and informative I had to read it twice: once to read the captions and look at the pictures, and again just enjoying the text.

It's impossible to overstate how great this book is. The photographs are incredibly clear and bright, and the subject matter is drawn from endlessly rich collections. Books like this tend to fall through the cracks--not really appealing to the general reader, and yet not in-depth enough for the collector. But a reader from the first category who casually glances at this book may find a new interest, and seasoned collectors may find rarities they didn't know existed. Every era has volumes that define it; for the space age, that would be Blast Off!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blast off a fantasy come true, December 17, 2001

By	"cadet_ed" (Manassas, VA USA) - See all my reviews

BLAST OFF is not only a beautiful book to behold it is researched by and with the help of fans who love the space toys of the 30's, 40's and 50's. The team at Dark Horse has given space toy fans a bookmark in the history of childhood toys.

BLAST OFF includes photos and information on toys inspired from the space heroes of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon to the Space Opera heroes of Space Patrol, Tom Corbett, Rocky Jones and other role models of the 1950's. There are chapters on the English toys and the robots from Japan along with well-researched sections and chapters on the makers of the space toys of our childhood, Archer, Marx and Pyro. Many of the toys displayed in this book are rare and hard to find items that have not been seen before now.

However, the backbone of the book is the interviews with collectors and fans of space toys. Why we remember and kept these playthings of our childhood is as interesting as the fantastic photos and ads that are generously spread throughout the book.

I found that I would move back and forth between chapters, reading about the toys that I remembered but had not seen in many years. It brought back many good memories along with information and research that should be saved and shared with future generations.

A must have book for any science fiction or space toy collector. Thank you Dark Horse Books and the creative team of Mark, Steve and Mike for bringing us this fantastic slice of childhood back to life. I hope BLAST OFF stays in print for many years to come as a reference point in the history of not just toys but SPACE TOYS!!!!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly incredible, December 10, 2001

By	Bob Burns (California) - See all my reviews

I just received a copy of this truly incredible book. If you like or collect space toys this is the book for you. Even if you don't, you'll find this book fascinating as it has histories of toys that most of us had as a kid. The pictures alone are worth having the book. I know, because some of my stuff is in there and it's never looked so good. Mark Young, Steve Duin, and Mike Richardson have left no stone unturned in the research on this book. I thought I knew a lot about space toys. However, there's so much that has been manufactured that I knew nothing about and they have pictures to prove it.

One of my favorite items is a diorama done in 1925 by Henri Mignot of WAR OF THE WORLDS. It is truly awesome. Turning each page takes me back to a happier time. I invite you to take the journey too.