Rocketry Planet

LIVERMORE, California USA — Most anyone involved in hobby rocketry is familiar with the name Peter Alway. Alway's name is synonymous with scale data as it relates to rockets from all over the world. Lately, Alway's expertise is becoming a coveted prize as hobbyists now face a vanishing source.

Alway's primary publication, at least in the eyes of the hobby rocketry community, is his Rockets of the World publication. Revised in 1999 and now in its third edition, the book is a detailed reference of historical and currently deployed rockets. Originally written mainly for modelers, non-modeling space enthusiasts have enjoyed Alway's unique mix of detailed illustrations with historical and technical information not found in similar books.

The current edition features over 200 versions of 137 rockets from 14 nations around the world. The book contains detailed dimensional drawings, historical summaries, color-keyed drawing data and over 180 black-and-white photographs wrapped with a durable Smyth-sewn hardcover binding and entailing 384 pages in a 8-1/2" x 11" page format. Previous editions have also included softback versions with spiral binding.

The companion to the book is the Rockets of the World Supplements, a spiral-bound annual publication that features updates to current designs as well as documentation of rockets not featured in the original book. Originally available for the years 1999 through 2004, the supplements have also fallen to the same malady as the original publication — availability.

In January of this year, Alway announced on his Saturn Press web site that he was discontinuing his mail order business for direct sales of his books. Citing his poor quality of service in filling orders and predicting no prospects for service to improve, he simply stopped accepting new orders and began focusing what little time he had available to keeping his network of resellers in stock. Apparently the real issue Alway faced was time to devote to authoring his line of books, which any author will tell you, without new printings even the slowest restocking arrangement will eventually deplete available stock.

With the most recent edition of Rockets of the World completely out of print and work on a fourth edition stalled, modelers were turning to sites like eBay, hobby-related auction sites and hobby classified listings to possibly secure personal copies. Pre-owned copies available through used book reseller networks have soared in price, with current prices above $300 for the book through Amazon. It appeared the Rockets of the World Supplements were destined to head down the same path, that is, until recently.

Enter Jack Hagerty and ARA Press. Hagerty, a scale model rocketry enthusiast who also has an appreciation for exotic Alpha Romeo's, runs ARA Press, a web-based retailer of specialty publications revolving around the Alpha Romeo Association's newsletter, Overheard Cams, and hobby rocketry publications from a variety of sources — including Saturn Press and Peter Alway.

Hagerty reported recently that he and Alway are discussing an agreement for ARA Press to take over publication of Alway's Rockets of the World Supplements, and possibly some of the other publications as well. As such, this may be the relief Alway needs to get the fourth edition of Rockets of the World completed and finally back into print.

"I've been negotiating with Peter to take over production of his Supplements and maybe his other softcover pubs," Hagerty said. "I'll only have to raise the price enough to cover his author's cut."  Hagerty stated that he and Alway hope to be able to announce an agreement formally at the National Association of Rocketry's NARAM-49 event in Kalamazoo, Michigan later this summer.

Websites: 

ARA Press: http://www.arapress.com
Saturn Press: http://members.aol.com/satrnpress/saturn.htm

Reader comments:

#1

ooooooohhh!! Bring back "Art of Scale Rocketry" too!!!!

rocketguy101 on 07-11-2007 07:13 PM

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