The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: From the Ancient World to the Extraterrestrial Future Hardcover – 23 Oct. 2018

THIS AN AMAZING BOOK , THE HISTORY OF SPACE EXPLORATION

This is an excellent book to browse through and read in full. There are some great pictures in it, which really make the physical hardback book worth getting. It covers early Earth-bound flight including balloons and aviation, before moving on to rockets and travel beyond the Earth's atmosphere. It's very comprehensive up to about Mars but I thought it skipped over the Jovian system and beyond really. Finally, it ends with prospects for the future, where things are starting to pick up again after relative inactivity for the last few decades.

This is a fairly comprehensive volume on the subject of space exploration. It is well laid out and printed and bound to a high standard. It is a fairly heavy book - not quite coffee table but not ideal for reading in bed. Makes a lovely gift for anyone who has a passing interest in the subject.