Willy Ley - by Jared S Buss (Paperback)

About the Book

Science writer Willy Ley inspired Americans of all ages to imagine a future of interplanetary travel long before space shuttles existed. This is the first biography of an important public figure who predicted and boosted the rise of the Space Age, yet has been overlooked in the history of science.

Book Synopsis

"Beautifully written. Reveals the vicissitudes of an extraordinarily interesting life."--Michael J. Neufeld, author of Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War

"Willy Ley has been a mystery among spaceflight historians for many years. His role as science writer, advocate, and popularizer is known to many but understood by few. This book unpacks that story."--Roger D. Launius, associate director of collections and curatorial affairs, National Air and Space Museum

"Ley lit the fire of interplanetary enthusiasm in the hearts of generations of young space cadets. Long overdue, this biography establishes the details and the ups and downs of his career."--Tom D. Crouch, author of Lighter Than Air: An Illustrated History of Balloons and Airships

"Beyond recovering the fascinating and many contradictory aspects of Ley's extraordinary life, Buss has provided a valuable case study of the complex relationship between science popularization, mass media, and scientific advocacy in the twentieth century."--Asif A. Siddiqi, author of The Red Rockets' Glare: Spaceflight and the Soviet Imagination, 1857-1957

Willy Ley inspired young rocket scientists and would-be astronauts around the world to imagine a future of interplanetary travel long before space shuttles existed. This is the first biography of the science writer and rocketeer who predicted and boosted the rise of the Space Age.

Born in Germany, Ley became involved in amateur rocketry until the field was taken over by the Nazis. He fled to America, where he forged a new life as a weapons expert and journalist during World War II and as a rocket researcher after the war. As America's foremost authority on rockets, missiles, and space travel, he authored books and scientific articles, while also regularly writing for science fiction pulp magazines and publishing what he termed romantic zoology--a blend of zoology, cryptozoology, history, and mythology. He even consulted for television's Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and the Disney program Man in Space, thrilling audiences with a romanticized view of what spaceflight would be like.

Yet as astronauts took center stage and scientific intellectuals such as Wernher von Braun became influential during the space race, Ley lost his celebrity status. With an old-fashioned style of popular writing and eccentric perspectives influenced by romanticism and science fiction, he was ignored by younger historians. This book returns Willy Ley to his rightful place as the energizer of an era--a time when scientists and science popularizers mixed ranks and shared the spotlight so that our far-fetched, fantastic dreams could turn into the reality of tomorrow.

Jared S. Buss is adjunct professor of history at Oklahoma City Community College.

Review Quotes

"A dynamic biography of a remarkable scientific figure. . . . Fans of scientific history and those just looking for a fascinating new read are in for a treat."--Foreword Reviews "In Jared Buss's nuanced biography, the German-born rocket expert emerges as a spirited science educator whose promotion of space exploration paved the way for NASA's triumphs."--Nature "A worthwhile contribution that rightfully restores Ley's place in the history of twentieth-century science."--Journal of American History "Buss rightly sheds light on a man whose sense of optimism and imagination exemplified American popular culture's own feelings toward the future during this period. An engaging, accessible read that will appeal to anyone interested in the history of space exploration."--Choice "Puts Ley's career into a bigger picture of changing perspectives about science and society."--Space Review "Buss . . . convinces us that while Ley was often quite literally behind the curtain he was a crucial architect of the spaceflight consensus and the narratives that supported it. Willy Ley will, no doubt, be a crucial Launchpad for further investigations of space history and the science fiction that is a part of it."--Science Fiction Studies "Buss's well-written biography about an intriguing character helps fill gaps in understanding the beginnings of the space age, especially its international dimensions."--German Studies Review