Description
Author: Arthur C. Clarke
Publisher: Harper & Row
Place: New York
Year: 1968
Edition: 1968 Harper & Row hardcover edition; printing code G-S
Format: Hardcover with original dust jacket
Page Count: 325 pages
Condition: Very Good / Very Good dust jacket
Description
This 1968 hardcover captures a thrilling historical moment when the mechanics of space travel transitioned from speculative fiction into real-world science. Published the exact same year that 2001: A Space Odyssey captured movie theater audiences, The Promise of Space serves as Arthur C. Clarke’s non-fiction master plan for humanity's future among the stars.
Clarke balances rigorous scientific principles with a visionary timeline, mapping out the architecture of early rocketry, satellite communication networks, lunar exploration, and eventual planetary settlements. Writing right on the eve of the Apollo 11 moon landing, Clarke’s insights laid the literal foundation for how a generation conceptualized the unfolding Space Age. Richly illustrated with historical aerospace photographs, technical charts, and blueprints, this volume stands as a crucial crossover piece for collectors of mid-century science history and classic speculative literature.
Why This Copy Belongs in Your Collection
- Early Trade Printing State: This volume represents the early trade format from Harper & Row, verified by the authentic "G-S" manufacturing code sequence.
- Authentic Contemporary Provenance: The front endpaper bears a neat, period ink ownership inscription dated July 1970 from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, permanently anchoring the book to the historic timeline of the Apollo moon missions.
Curated Vintage Condition Notes
- Condition: Very Good Hardcover / Very Good Original Dust Jacket.
- Details: The hardcover binding is structurally tight, solid, and square. The internal text block is clean, holding firmly set pages that show only a very mild, uniform natural browning consistent with its 50+ year history. Free of modern highlighter markings, underlining, or library tracking sheets.
- Preservation: The original vintage dust jacket displays vibrant graphic panels and text layouts, showing only honest, minor edge handling wear. It comes beautifully protected, stabilized, and housed inside a fresh, premium archival Brodart protective cover.