Spacecraft: 2000-2100 AD

Terran Trade Authority #1

by Stewart Cowley

The Terran Defense Authority Commander provides information on the design, development, operation, and technical specifications of military, civilian, commercial, and special function spacecraft in use during the twenty-first century

Genres: Science Fiction, Art, Fiction, Young Adult, Reference, Graphic Novels, Space

95 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Stewart Cowley (also Steven Caldwell, Hubert Venables) is a British writer and artist, best known for his works in the "Terran Trade Authority" universe.

Reviews

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

In middle school, I used to stare at this book for hours on end, imagining that distant future. Let's put this in context: Star Wars was one movie, Cylons were chrome-plated clods, and Space Invaders vied with Astroids for the title of 'Best Video Game.' Can't remember a thing about the text, but the pictures were captivating. About the same time, I stumbled upon Robert Heinlein and applied his stories to the images Cowley assembled. Now I'll have to go seek out a very expensive used copy just to relive my past affection for the now-present future.

[Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to spend hours at the Camas library pouring over every inch of every page of this book, immersed in fearsome and fantastical day-dreams. I didn't have to try very hard, such is the talent on display in this fun exposition of alien art. Even when my family accompanied me or when I was distracted by some other piece of literature-- from what my mom called "the weird section"-- it would glisten out of the corner of my eye, off across the room in the lonely corner of K through 12. "Open me up, Damon. Read me," it whispered. "There are other worlds than these."

Say what you will about the overly dramatic, "aged" look and feel of the late-70's coloring and composition; I think it accentuates the subject matter perfectly. I can't remember the writing for the life of me, but every picture is a unique story in itself, a slice of adventure in some inconceivable future universe, giving the impression of immense unseen depths. I was convinced that Mr. Cowley must have been a time-traveler. The attention to detail on each ship and overwhelming sense of scale in some of the vistas was one of my first exposures to art in service of the purely hypothetical, and I found it all very Goth and alluring.

To this day I have a very strong emotional reaction to the images in this book; it's one of the main sources of my religious devotion to Science Fiction. Even if you're not looking for a nostalgic chemical trip, it's still fun to study and admire all of the little details on all the different spaceships and drool.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very nice collection spaceships pics. nice layout and art. Recommended

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a kid, this book confused the hell out of me. I knew it couldn't be real but the historical schematic format - akin to reading promotional literature for electronics device - sure made it seem real.

I cracked it open recently and was immediately struck by how strongly the book had imprinted on my memories.

[Mouldy Squid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, nostalgia. I remember these books from when I was a kid, spending my time in grade school library. I ran across the set at a flea market and added them to the collection. They aren't quite as amazing as I remember, but they get full marks for the cool concept and the remembered joy of my younger self.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first got this book around 1979, and it tapped into the explosion of popular sci-fi around that time, including 'Star Wars', 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Buck Rogers'. Relying on artwork from numerous sci-fi illustrators, Cowley produced some thing along the line of a fictional Observers book of future space craft, combined with a narrative focused on an interstellar war.
This is hardly a significant entry in sci-fi fiction, and the prose is almost totally colourless. Yet I (and perhaps others) found the creativity of such an entertaining vision of the future most enjoyable.
There are also some sly if silly jokes interspersed within the pages, so Cowley can't be accused of taking himself too seriously.

[Megan Nourse · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was little (maybe 8 or 9), my library had this book. I used to take it out ever time it was available. Gorgeous, gorgeous art. Absolutely one of my earliest introductions to space opera science fiction, and one I remember twenty five years later with absolute awe.

[Curtiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever incorporation of various science fiction artwork into a storyline.

[Josef Komensky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was pure pleasure to read.
To lead through the book to be able to see all those beautiful illustrations and let my mind roam to eternity and beyond.

Recently I took this book and read it to my son who also love space and technology as a sort of good night stories and he loved it.

All those different sorts of space ships and their history and all those very specific technical informations about it.

[Joe Labriola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featuring stunningly imaginative retro-artwork as well as engaging technical descriptions,
"Spacecraft: 2000 to 2100" is as much a speculative narrative of humanity’s exploration of the cosmos as it is a fun spaceship guidebook, illuminating mankind’s age-old drive for innovation and adventure through both times of future peace and war.

[Julian Meynell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this book as a child. The magic of this book is that while the background is pure Space Opera the book is more concerned about telling you about design flaws in the engines or where the best museum examples of the spaceships are, than with telling a poor space opera and that makes the whole thing come beautifully alive.

It is my favorite work of mock nonfiction, although it is probably not the best. It might be because the art is evocative and the text brings this out without degenerating in pointless pulpy space opera. It leaves the Space Opera as an imaginative possibility.

[Lance E Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from a friend when I was a kid in about 1983. I read and re-read it many times, but the illustrations were the best part. It really fed into imaginations that had been sparked by Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, Alien, etc. I think about the images from this book every now and then. I'm sorry to say I no longer have this book. It must've gotten lost during one of many moves from one home to another in the past 30+ years.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first saw this book when it came out, and I found it fascinating to just flip through and absorb as a child.

Coming back to it forty years later, it still holds up. The timeline might now be an alternate history instead of a possible future, but the imaginative stories drawn from disparate paintings of speculative starships still hold together as an interesting universe.

[Eric Bangle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome primer for those wishing to prepare for their future life as a intergalactic space traveler or rogue.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great SiFi art book. Nice pics and entries. Recommended

[Julieann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spacecraft 2000 to 2100 AD: Terran Trade Authority Handbook

Stewart Cowley

The inside covers are schematics of some of the important space craft that are discussed in this book
The book is a history of the spacecraft over these hundred years. Anyone interested in the evolution of spacecraft will enjoy this book.

A major portion of the book is about military spacecraft, used in the Proxima War. Typical are the K9 Goblin and the K7 Piranha.

Of course, after the end of that war, there was an explosion of commercial/civilian spacecraft. They range from the TTA Colonial III, a high-capacity freighter to the Starblade, described as “the most beautiful spacecraft to enter commercial service”

Odd alien or unidentified spacecraft – or more really, debris of them – are the most interesting spacecraft. A good example is Object # 4 Proxima Centauri. It's described as “It was certainly a bizarre object, made more so by its prodigious size, and unlike any spacecraft ever seen.”

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1978, this book can be blamed for my continued interest in science-fiction. Looking back at it now, it’s a bit rubbish. But its mixture of near future forecasting (now badly out of date) and wild speculation fascinated my kid’s mind at the time. I never really read it, just daydreamed over the pictures. The illustrations are okay, the narrative is full of bullshit that would have been obvious to anyone with any education at the time, and there are loads of editing errors which show this was a rather negligently put together mass market product, a stocking filler aimed at cashing in on the success of Star Wars. Nevertheless, I look back on it with affection.

[Sean McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gods above but I ADORED these books. The year 2000 seemed so far away and mysterious, magical exciting things would happen by the year 2000 . . .to the stars we would go, to a moon base for a holiday, robot companions and flying cars . . . . . .now it's 2025, superpowers are controlled by delusional lying despots and billionaire morons control and dictate policy, big brother is a subscription service and the bright beautiful I imagined is a dystopian hellscape voted in by the ignorant and wilfully stupid, putting ideology and superstition above imagination and vision.
I loved these books and I miss the optimism I USED to have.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have owned this book since I was 6. I rode my knight rider big wheel to the neighbor's garage sale and bought it for $1. It is the first thing I remember buying and it has set the foundation for everything I have ever been interested in.

[Antonio Ippolito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful: this shaped my imagination when I was 11.. it's finally back, and I'm proud to have created its Italian card in Goodreads: incredibly, it was missing!

[Fernando D'andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good and awesome fiction when I was a kid.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool speculative fiction and artwork, the influence you can see in sci-fi design aesthetics since its publication.

[Fresno Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

a classic from my pre-teen years, my buddy Bill Nee informed me there were 2 more in the series, so I got those, definate nostalgia read

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was AWESOME. Very creative with wonderful artwork. One of the best Little Free Library finds I've ever had.

[DoomFist7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is very original.

[Michele Torbidoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really full of "that kind of future" we imagined in late 70's. Something that eventually found its popularity in things like "Star Wars", "Close Encounters" (but also Hyams' "Outland") and in the works of late Chris Foss. If you're an avid Hard Sci-Fi lover, find a copy on eBay and you'll enjoy it!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why didn't I keep this book? It has some brilliant illustrations in it, which I used to love leafing through. The text, if I remember correctly, is inspired by the images and isn't related the the books which used the art for their covers.

Well, I guess you can't keep all the books that pass into your life, but I wish I'd kept this one!

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. One painting, maybe a schematic or two, and Cowley had a story about the ship pictured in the painting. Never mind how weird or unlikely the painting was; he had the odd parts covered, too.

[Melissa Cuevas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally owned the paperback copy, purchased back when I still lived in the UK. That copy eventually fell apart, but then the book faeries smiled on me by placing a hardcover copy of this in a thrift store. Of course I snatched it up, it's a wonderful, amazing book for any sci fi lover.

[Eric Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the exact time I read this book (been a long time that's for sure) but otherwise a great collection of SF fictional spacecraft. It was also illustrated and again, well done and a good read for SF buffs.