|
The Conquest Of Space (1931)
''The Conquest of Space'' is a nonfiction book written by David Lasser in 1930 and self-published in 1931. It was the first book written in English that presented rocketry and spaceflight in a serious manner. The book profiles a fictional journey to the Moon to explain the science of rocketry as it stood in 1931. It uses contemporary knowledge on rockets to create a reasonable description of the hardware necessary to make spaceflight possible. The book was out of print until 2002, when it was republished by Apogee Books. , the book remains in print. According to the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction, it contains the earliest known use of the word "astrogator". Reception The book was generally well received. ''The New York Times'' stated on January 10, 1932 that "despite its literary and artistic faults the book cannot but capture the imagination of a reader interested in science." Harold Horton Sheldon wrote the original introduction to the 1931 edition. Arthur C. Clarke, wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Lasser
David Lasser (March 20, 1902 – May 5, 1996) was an American writer and political activist. Lasser is remembered as one of the most influential figures of early science fiction writing, working closely with Hugo Gernsback. He was also heavily involved in the workers’ rights struggles of the Great Depression. Early years Lasser was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jewish immigrant parents from Russia. His family moved to Newark, New Jersey, where he grew up. He left high school at 16 to enlist in the Army in World War I, lying about his age. After being gassed on the front lines in France, he was honourably discharged as a Sergeant in 1919. Despite never graduating from high school, he was admitted to M.I.T., graduating with a B.S. in Engineering Administration. In the late 1920s, Lasser moved to New York City, where his engineering background helped him land a job as managing editor of Hugo Gernsback's new science fiction magazine, '' Science Wonder Stories''. Lasser and his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
