{"product_id":"willy-ley-prophet-of-the-space-age-paperback","title":"Willy Ley: Prophet of the Space Age - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJared S. Buss\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeautifully written. Reveals the vicissitudes of an extraordinarily interesting life.--Michael J. Neufeld, author of \u003cem\u003eVon Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWilly Ley has been a mystery among spaceflight historians for many years. His role as science writer, advocate, and popularizer is known to many but understood by few. This book unpacks that story.--Roger D. Launius, associate director of collections and curatorial affairs, National Air and Space Museum\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLey lit the fire of interplanetary enthusiasm in the hearts of generations of young space cadets. Long overdue, this biography establishes the details and the ups and downs of his career.--Tom D. Crouch, author of \u003cem\u003eLighter Than Air: An Illustrated History of Balloons and Airships\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeyond recovering the fascinating and many contradictory aspects of Ley's extraordinary life, Buss has provided a valuable case study of the complex relationship between science popularization, mass media, and scientific advocacy in the twentieth century.--Asif A. Siddiqi, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Red Rockets' Glare: Spaceflight and the Soviet Imagination, 1857-1957\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWilly Ley inspired young rocket scientists and would-be astronauts around the world to imagine a future of interplanetary travel long before space shuttles existed. This is the first biography of the science writer and rocketeer who predicted and boosted the rise of the Space Age.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBorn in Germany, Ley became involved in amateur rocketry until the field was taken over by the Nazis. He fled to America, where he forged a new life as a weapons expert and journalist during World War II and as a rocket researcher after the war. As America's foremost authority on rockets, missiles, and space travel, he authored books and scientific articles, while also regularly writing for science fiction pulp magazines and publishing what he termed romantic zoology--a blend of zoology, cryptozoology, history, and mythology. He even consulted for television's \u003cem\u003eTom Corbett, Space Cadet\u003c\/em\u003e and the Disney program \u003cem\u003eMan in Space\u003c\/em\u003e, thrilling audiences with a romanticized view of what spaceflight would be like.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet as astronauts took center stage and scientific intellectuals such as Wernher von Braun became influential during the space race, Ley lost his celebrity status. With an old-fashioned style of popular writing and eccentric perspectives influenced by romanticism and science fiction, he was ignored by younger historians. This book returns Willy Ley to his rightful place as the energizer of an era--a time when scientists and science popularizers mixed ranks and shared the spotlight so that our far-fetched, fantastic dreams could turn into the reality of tomorrow.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJared S. Buss\u003c\/strong\u003e is adjunct professor of history at Oklahoma City Community College.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.76 x 9.02 x 5.98 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 24, 2020\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49180510388376,"sku":"9780813068244","price":33.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0759\/8830\/4024\/files\/aGEyQUNrM1R0c2QwTk5jRXB0NC9pZz09.webp?v=1780160163","url":"https:\/\/thepinkflamingobooks.myshopify.com\/products\/willy-ley-prophet-of-the-space-age-paperback","provider":"The Pink Flamingo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}