Eberhard Rödel

An interesting book on the early Soviet rocket program. The author is German and does not provide a biography or the author's credentials or education. The book is translated by David Johnston, also without a biography or credentials.

It is of little surprise that the Soviet program's roots are in the German V2 program after World War II. Soviet paranoia kept the program in military hands. This edition taces development from captured V2 parts to atomic weapons delivery. The Soviet Space Program is well illustrated with photographs, charts, and diagrams. The double column format in the electronic edition gives the book a more informal feel than a typical history text.

The appendices also contain a great of useful information on launches of different versions of Soviet rockets as well as additional photographs. What is missing is a bibliography or source material. As a serious history of the Soviet Space program, this work is lacking. With many of the Soviet archives now open to research there should be plenty of source material. Although the book looks well down and well researched, without a bibliography and the author's expertise it is difficult to consider this work as scholarly nonfiction. I was initially intrigued by the description of the book but finished a bit disappointed.… (mehr)