HOTOL: Britain's Spaceplane by Dan Sharp

[BigD]

(This post is spoiler-free)

I'm currently about 90 pages in, and I'm really appreciating the fact that I haven't stumbled across any serious typos or editing SNAFUs yet. This might seem like a minor point, but I've struggled through so many specialty aerospace titles with absolutely awful editing and spell-checking (I still haven't been able to convince myself to finish Davide Sivolella's Untold Stories of the Space Shuttle Program), that I'm happy that Dan and the folks at Morton/Tempest seem to be taking it seriously. I also love that the diagrams and schematics are big and clear enough to be studied without a 1000-watt overhead bulb and a magnifying glass. Can't wait to dig deeper into the book and admire the brochure graphics. And even though I managed to slightly rip one of the pages freeing it, that ribbon bookmark is a lot classier than the crinkled ShopRite receipts I usually use!

A word of caution for future buyers: the paper is thinner and more prone to wrinkling than earlier Morton titles, so be careful handling the pages. I double-checked my copies of The Secret Horsepower Race and the Me 262 Development & Politics, and the printer definitely used a lighter weight paper stock this time around.

 

[Owens Z]

(This post is spoiler-free)

Thank you, BigD. I envy your pre-pub access, but haven't yet been tempted to go your eBay route. I did finish his book that you mention and have it on the shelf in front of me, but as I had commented in the thread "Some Future Titles of Interest for SPF Members", Davide Sivolella wrote his Space Shuttle books in English, but the writing therein is often so stilted and clumsy that it's tough to enjoy his books, despite my interest in the subject. So I advise not to bother finishing. As per your general point about an evidently poor copyediting effort marring a book, I share your aggravation when (too often) that occurs. No doubt lack of a copyeditor is another foolishly self-destructive cut made for reasons of economy.

I'm glad to hear that you like Mr Sharp's new HOTOL book, at least its first ninety-odd pages. I will look at the paper quality when my own copy arrives (of course, the paper the Maltese printer used was no choice of the author's). May I ask you to check on one specific question for me, at your convenience? Read my post #100 in this thread, and see its attachment. Six persons have endorsed my post so far. Inside the new book, is there a schematic line drawing of a HOTOL vehicle as good as or (dare I ask) even better than the spectacular 1989 example? I will buy the new book anyway even if all its figures are just the computer-generated stuff of nowadays, but I would like to know. (Mr Sharp's excellent British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttle about the MUSTARD vehicle includes many original blueprint drawings among its figures, but this isn't quite what I mean.)

 

[Owens Z]

I pre-ordered from the publisher. It hasn't arrived yet in New Zealand yet but they did say that mail would be slow and take up to eight weeks outside the UK.

Good luck, Rhinocrates. Just out of curiosity, what is the general book availability in New Zealand? Do bookstores there carry most of the English-language books that would also be seen on the shelves of New York and London bookstores? Or do most books of interest have to be specially ordered by the individual from overseas?

 

[BigD]

May I ask you to check on one specific question for me, at your convenience? Read my post #100 in this thread, and see its attachment. Six persons have endorsed my post so far. Inside the new book, is there a schematic line drawing of a HOTOL vehicle as good as or (dare I ask) even better than the spectacular 1989 example? I will buy the new book anyway even if all its figures are just the computer-generated stuff of nowadays, but I would like to know. (Mr Sharp's excellent British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttle about the MUSTARD vehicle includes many original blueprint drawings among its figures, but this isn't quite what I mean.)

While unfortunately there isn't an overall cutaway quite as detailed as that one, there's still an absolute boatload of original technical diagrams of all the HOTOL configurations and some of the other British SSTO and air-launched spaceplane designs of the period. Again, not wanting to spoil anything, but there's at least a couple hundred piece of line art in this book, along with some color diagrams and profile views produced specifically for it.

 

[Rhinocrates]

Good luck, Rhinocrates. Just out of curiosity, what is the general book availability in New Zealand? Do bookstores there carry most of the English-language books that would also be seen on the shelves of New York and London bookstores? Or do most books of interest have to be specially ordered by the individual from overseas?

Bookselling has been ravaged. There haven't been good specialist technical brick and mortar bookshops in even the largest cities for decades. There's no chance that I'd see this book on shelves other than in a library.

I would say that the libraries are good, and it's true, but at the moment in my city, the central library is shut down for major earthquake strengthening and replaced by a couple of temporary pop-ups no better than the suburban branches. They did have the Secret Projects series, Jenkins, the Raven and Roberts books on WWII warships etc. but things like that are in the stacks now.

Anyway, the problem with libraries is that you have to give the books back.

A chain or two dominates, selling things you put on coffee tables and other things you read on a plane if you don't have a Kindle. I ignore those entirely.

There is a good independent bookseller, Unity Books, which actually cares about and engages with its customers and will get anything you want and some second hand shops out of Terry Pratchett's dreams.

 

[Antonio]

Reeived my copy yesterday. Delivery was perfect. First impressions:

Beautiful edition. Just a bit heavier as "average" aviation books. Still handy for anyone.

Contents look brilliant, full of information and images. An exhaustive and clearly readable research work. A delight for plain fans of history of technology and those who specially appreciate unbuilt designs.

Congratulations, Mr Sharp, once again you have my admiration and gratitude as a reader

 

[BigD]

Spoiler: Click to see the table of contents

Preface 9
Introduction 11
Chapter 1: Genesis 1982-1984 19
Chapter 2: Breaking News 1984-1985 34
Chapter 3: Proof of Concept 1985-May 31,1986 58
Chapter 4: Configuration F June 1-December 31, 1986 94
Chapter 5: Popular Myths January 1-June 10, 1987 140
Chapter 6: A Sound Basis for Comparison Alternative Launch Vehicles 162
Chapter 7: The Hugely Expensive Club June 11,1987-December 31, 1987 202
Chapter 8: Approaching the Limit January 1,1988-July 27, 1988 241
Chapter 9: Outstanding Items of Work July 28, 1988-June 11, 1989 264
Chapter 10: Interim Hotol June 12,1989-June 20, 1991 299
Chapter 11: Hotol-M, P150, Radem and Skylon June 21, 1991-1994 329
Chapter 12: Other Launch Systems Competitors and Contemporaries 363
Abbreviations 398
Vehicle Data Table 400
Hotol History of Structural Development 401
Who Was Who 406
Bibliography 414
Index 417

 

[BigD]

Found a color version of the well-known Flight cutaway signed by members of the HOTOL team.

 

[Owens Z]

Much like "Spaceplane HERMES" (written by Luc van den Abeelen) is the first and (so far) only book written solely about HERMES.
Both subjects (HOTOL and HERMES) are so specific, and so obscure (from the general public's point of view) that it's unlikely there will be ever more than one book written per subject.
On another note: I received my copy of Dan's HOTOL book today. It's a magnificent piece of work. Only flipped thru it a few times so far, and scan-read several pages, but I can already highly recommend this book.

Woods170, presumably you have since had time to read more of Mr Sharp's book HOTOL: Britain's Spaceplane. If you like, please consider posting a review here of this new book as compared and contrasted with Luc van den Abeelen's book Spaceplane Hermes: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight (Springer-Praxis, 2017), of which I and no doubt others on this thread have a copy and am familiar with. We would be interested in hearing your informed thoughts. As you know, the Hermes vehicle's 1983-93 timeline was contemporaneous with HOTOL's.

 

[Owens Z]

Mr Sharp, on behalf of myself and your other would-be American customers, may I request a favor? Please ask your editorial contact at Mortons Media Group Ltd why US publication of your new book has been pushed back to the end of April 2025 (as noted for example by Amazon and Barnes & Noble), and let us know. We are eager to provide your due royalties. That copies could reach UK customers from the printer in Malta before Christmas, and yet take another four months (or more?) to reach the New World, seems unusual.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Mr Sharp, on behalf of myself and your other would-be American customers, may I request a favor? Please ask your editorial contact at Mortons Media Group Ltd why US publication of your new book has been pushed back to the end of April 2025 (as noted for example by Amazon and Barnes & Noble), and let us know. We are eager to provide your due royalties. That copies could reach UK customers from the printer in Malta before Christmas, and yet take another four months (or more?) to reach the New World, seems unusual.

I am a UK customer and did not get the book before Christmas, I am not bothered one iota.

I appreciate stuff often comes across as unfair, frankly that is the case in many ways. chilblast the people who 'built' mjy pc, have been chuckiong me crap for a long while now which makes me want to chew nails and spit rust but, that gets me nowhere.

We need to be grateful when things work and know when we are OK really. I think you will like the book when it arrives and you can get that Christmas morning feeling again.

Stay well Sir, you and yours.

 

[GTX]

My copy just arrived.

 

[red admiral]

I'm most of the way through now but still working out what to say as a review.

There's a lavish amount of technical detail in the drawings in it.

 

[Rhinocrates]

Note the name on the desk.