The book illustrates the history of Soviet rocketry (with appropriate homage to Korolev, known only to the Russian people as the "Chief Designer") from its very early stages of reworking the V2 design, through the familiar R7`s ballistic missile heritage, and then on through Sputnik, Vostock, Voskhod, Soyuz, Salyut, Mir, etc. This is done through captioned photos, marking it apart from the other text-rich Godwin offerings. There are intersting sections on the lost project to mirror the Shuttle, Buran, and upon the more recent heavy-lift rockets for satellite and space station component launch , of which I (for one) had little knowledge.

The book shows graphically the subterfuge that the Russians were able to work by consistantly relying on the evolution of an existing design to give the impression of spectacular progress. Call a one-man Vostock capsule Voskhod and stick three cosmonauts in it and the world thinks you`re way ahead!

As a 60`s kid, the most gripping part of the book for me was the section focusing on the development of the massive multi-stage N-1, built to challenge Apollo to the moon. We have only seen such pictures recently. It is really amazing that a rocket over 105 metres long was assembled and transported on its side and then erected for launch, all in one piece!

As a counterpart source of info the book is a fine resource, if a little thinner than Godwin`s others. Perhaps the best reaction has been from friends with interest in space who have never seen anything about the Russians hardware and who have been eager to see the differences between it and the familiar kit that the Americans relied upon.