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All About Rockets and Jets
OUR COPY HAS THE SAME DUST JACKET AS STOCK PHOTO SHOWN, AND IT SHOWS SCUFFING, DINGS, RIPS AND TEARS. LIGHT GREEN CLOTH-COVERED BOARDS WITH BLACK PRINTING AND ILLUSTRATIONS. SCUFFING, EDGE WEAR/SOME DISCOLORATION ON COVERS AND SPINE. NO MARKING OR WRITING NOTED WITHIN BOOK. AGE RELATED TANNING INSIDE COVERS AND ON PAGES.
140 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1958
About the author
Fletcher Pratt
267 books38 followersMurray Fletcher Pratt (1897–1956) was a science fiction and fantasy writer; he was also well-known as a writer on naval history and on the American Civil War.
Pratt attended Hobart College for one year. During the 1920s he worked for the Buffalo Courier-Express and on a Staten Island newspaper. In the late 1920s he began selling stories to pulp magazines. When a fire gutted his apartment in the 1930s he used the insurance money to study at the Sorbonne for a year. After that he began writing histories.
Wargamers know Pratt as the inventor of a set of rules for civilian naval wargaming before the Second World War. This was known as the "Naval War Game" and was based on a wargame developed by Fred T. Jane involving dozens of tiny wooden ships, built on a scale of one inch to 50 feet. These were spread over the floor of Pratt's apartment and their maneuvers were calculated via a complex mathematical formula. Noted author and artist Jack Coggins was a frequent participant in Pratt's Navy Game, and L. Sprague de Camp met him through his wargaming group.
Pratt established the literary dining club known as the Trap Door Spiders in 1944. The name is a reference to the exclusive habits of the trapdoor spider, which when it enters its burrow pulls the hatch shut behind it. The club was later fictionalized as the Black Widowers in a series of mystery stories by Isaac Asimov. Pratt himself was fictionalized in one story, "To the Barest", as the Widowers’ founder, Ralph Ottur.
Pratt is best known for his fantasy collaborations with de Camp, the most famous of which is the humorous Harold Shea series, was eventually published in full as The Complete Compleat Enchanter. His solo fantasy novels Well of the Unicorn and The Blue Star are also highly regarded.
Pratt wrote in a markedly identifiable prose style, reminiscent of the style of Bernard DeVoto. One of his books is dedicated "To Benny DeVoto, who taught me to write."
Pratt attended Hobart College for one year. During the 1920s he worked for the Buffalo Courier-Express and on a Staten Island newspaper. In the late 1920s he began selling stories to pulp magazines. When a fire gutted his apartment in the 1930s he used the insurance money to study at the Sorbonne for a year. After that he began writing histories.
Wargamers know Pratt as the inventor of a set of rules for civilian naval wargaming before the Second World War. This was known as the "Naval War Game" and was based on a wargame developed by Fred T. Jane involving dozens of tiny wooden ships, built on a scale of one inch to 50 feet. These were spread over the floor of Pratt's apartment and their maneuvers were calculated via a complex mathematical formula. Noted author and artist Jack Coggins was a frequent participant in Pratt's Navy Game, and L. Sprague de Camp met him through his wargaming group.
Pratt established the literary dining club known as the Trap Door Spiders in 1944. The name is a reference to the exclusive habits of the trapdoor spider, which when it enters its burrow pulls the hatch shut behind it. The club was later fictionalized as the Black Widowers in a series of mystery stories by Isaac Asimov. Pratt himself was fictionalized in one story, "To the Barest", as the Widowers’ founder, Ralph Ottur.
Pratt is best known for his fantasy collaborations with de Camp, the most famous of which is the humorous Harold Shea series, was eventually published in full as The Complete Compleat Enchanter. His solo fantasy novels Well of the Unicorn and The Blue Star are also highly regarded.
Pratt wrote in a markedly identifiable prose style, reminiscent of the style of Bernard DeVoto. One of his books is dedicated "To Benny DeVoto, who taught me to write."
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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June 1, 2026It was honestly fascinating to read this elementary school textbook from before we went to the moon. (The author predicts that humans will need to establish a permanent space station around earth before venturing to the moon.) History is the spoiler here!
August 12, 2026
All About Rockets and Jets was published by Random House in 1958 as part of their Allabout Books series for kids. Fletcher Pratt as the author does an excellent job of explaining the history and technological advancement of rockets and jets for kids. This book contains lots of excellent diagrams of rocket engine designs and explains why scientists switched from solid fuel to liquid fuel rockets for the space race. Also Pratt goes over the development of various rockets used in World War II and the start of the Cold War. I have to admit All About Rockets and Jets explained and clarified a few concepts for me too, so if you are a novice to rocket science (like myself) it is a pretty fantastic book. My son enjoyed it too as a read a loud for bedtime.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews