This is a book about rocket science: what it is and what it does. From the earliest fireworks to nuclear-powered spacecraft, all you would ever want or need to know about the subject is here, along with a straightforward explanation of how, why and when things work—or sometimes don't. We begin with the history and workings of early terrestrial rocketry before moving onto the main subject of the book: how we get things into space and, on occasion, back again. Entirely math-free, the chapters weave together innumerable anecdotes, real-world examples, and easy walk-throughs to help readers break down the complex physics behind some of humankind’s most amazing feats. Neither a pure textbook nor a populist space travel tome, the book will educate, inform and above all entertain anyone intrigued by rocket science.

ロケット工学という難解な頂を、数式を排して軽やかに踏破する本作は、技術解説書を超えた「人類の知性と執念のクロニクル」です。デニーとマクファジーンは、火花散る黎明期から宇宙への挑戦までを、鮮烈な比喩で編み上げ、科学の背後にあるドラマチックな本質を浮き彫りにしています。 重力に抗い虚空へ挑む営みを、これほど情熱的に読み解く筆致は見事と言うほかありません。単なる知識の習得ではなく、未知へ手を伸ばし続ける人間の気高さに触れる体験。知的好奇心を極限まで揺さぶる、まさに大人のための冒険書であり、科学という名の芸術を堪能できる一冊です。