Creating Space: The Story of the Space Age Through Models: Apogee Books Space Series 24 (Paperback)

~ (Author), Sir Arthur C. Clarke (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I defy anybody not to be fired up by the author's obvious enthusiasm..." -- Spaceflight, May 2003. "An absolute joy to dip into..." -- The Observatory, June 2003. "This book is ideal for model hobbyists, and for space history enthusiasts..." -- Astronomy Now, July 2003.

Product Description

The Heavens – and trying to get there – have always intrigued Man, and have been included in our artwork throughout all of history. In recent years they have been the subject of countless books, articles, radio and television shows and films, and have more and more featured the practical method of achieving these dreams – Spaceships.

Creating Space takes us on a journey through the history of the space age, up to the present and beyond. From the advent of the "space race" with the V-2 rocket of World War II to the International Space Station and the future, a complete and detailed chronicling of vehicles is given, side by side with pictures and details of models that depict the multitude of aircraft and spacecraft developed throughout the world.

In addition, extensive appendices provide details of all of the space-related models ever made and the many manufacturers and distributors who have supplied them – all in the words of an experienced professional insider. Mat Irvine worked in the BBC Visual Effects Department for 20 years, contributing to many projects including Doctor Who, Blake’s 7, Edge of Darkness, the various NASA flights, and many science and space-oriented documentaries and programmes.

Creating Space is presented in 12 chapters which logically group together the history, the vehicles and the models into logical and meaningful categories. This book will be equally valuable to space enthusiasts, modellers, and space historians.

352 pages, 176 in full-colour, 550 photographs, and listings for 250 modeling subjects and 300 model manufacturers.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Collector's Guide Publishing, Inc. (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896522866
• ISBN-13: 978-1896522869
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #184,022 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 24 in The Apogee Books Space Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful reference for a webmaster who fields questions!, October 19, 2002

By	John C Duncan (Waynesville, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This book was a much anticipated addition to my library. As a webmaster of a Apollo website, I'm often asked questions about space models. This book has it all with great descriptions and color images of space model kits. The table of scales of each type available is very useful for collectors.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A profusion of pics, proficiently picked., June 26, 2008

By	Armchair Pundit "Armchair Pundit." (Durham City, England.) - See all my reviews

Through this book you go on a wonderful illustrated journey through the space age (and beyond),
the twist being, it's within the model world of spacecraft, not the life sized versions.
The author Matt Irvine, well known among Doctor Who and Blake 7 fans as one of the long serving FX guys (20 years), really shows off his love and knowledge of the subject.
Here's a brief synopsis of contents, 352 pages with 500 photographs, 170 in full colour.
And listings for 250 modeling subjects and 300 model manufactures.
Some Examples, Revell, Monogram, Strombecker, Airfix and many more.
The era's covered in detail are World War 2 and the Nazi built V2's all the way through to the International Space Station, with everything in-between.
Chapter twelve called; "Beyond the Infinite" goes from Roswell to 2001, not surprising since the foreward is written by the late great Sir Arthur C. Clarke, CBE.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Relive Your Childhood..., August 11, 2006

By	Terry Sunday (El Paso, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

If you were a male child growing up in the 1950s or `60s, the chances are very good that you will remember many of the models that author Mat Irvine describes in this fine volume covering an obscure aspect of spaceflight history.

"Creating Space" consists of two parts of approximately equal length. The first half is full of nostalgia, at least for me. Logically organized into 12 chapters covering, for example, "Early Dreams," "Rocket Planes and the V-Weapons" and "The Visions of Wernher and Willy," the first 200 pages include superb glossy color photos of assembled models and, stirring even more pleasant memories, their boxtop art. All of the models I built as a kid growing up just down the Florida coast from Cape Canaveral are covered in detail here: Strombecker's RM-1 Lunar Rocket Ship, Revell's XSL-01 Manned Space Ship, Lindberg's Lunar Lander, Monogram's Space Taxi and Passenger Rocket (designed by Willy Ley) and Hawk's Convair Atlas Space Station. The early rockets and guided missile kits are well represented also. Remember Revell's X-17 Research Rocket and Aerobee-Hi (with its exquisite set of decals), Adams' Honest John "Atomic Rocket" and Renwal's Terracruzer with Mace Missile? They're all here, along with hundreds of others. Closer to today, there are chapters devoted to current Space Shuttle, Mir and International Space Station kits, and a whimsical chapter covering U.F.O.s (such as the classic "Adamski Flying Saucer") and cinematic spacecraft such as those from "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "Destination Moon." The quality of the photos is superb, and the extensive text describes the kits in great detail.

The second half of "Creating Space" is a tabular listing of virtually every spacecraft, rocket, missile and science fiction model kit ever made. Each entry includes a description of the kit, its scale, the manufacturer's reference number and the year it was first released. This is an excellent reference guide which appears to be both exhaustive and definitive. It is sure to be an invaluable resource for the collector or serious retro-hobbyist. There's also a useful dealer's reference, a list of other reference sources and some Internet links.

"Creating Space" is a unique and valuable book. I no longer have any of the space model kits that I built as a child. But I still got immense pleasure from reading Mr. Irvine's clear, thorough and detailed text, marveling at the crisp photos and re-living, for a moment at least, the joys of putting these kits together with tube cement that somehow always seemed to get smeared all over everything. If you're at all interested in the subject, buy this book. You won't be disappointed.