WORLD WIDE WEB — The rumors appear to be coming true, and lucky recipients scheduled to attend this year's NARAM-50 may walk away with the goods. Goods? Rumors? Peter Alway's much acclaimed Rockets of the World is being reprinted as you read this.

Almost everyone in hobby rocketry is familiar with the name Peter Alway, a name synonymous with scale rocket data as it relates to rockets from all over the world. Alway's expertise has become a coveted prize as hobbyists face a vanishing source for scale rocket data.

Rockets of the World, Alway's primary publication, was last revised in 1999, its third edition. The book is a detailed reference of historical and currently deployed rockets. The companion to the book is the Rockets of the World Supplements, spiral-bound annual publications that feature updates to current designs as well as documentation of rockets not featured in the original book.

Alway announced in January of 2007 that he was discontinuing his web-based mail order business for direct sales of his books, citing his poor quality of service in filling orders. 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. However, without new printings even the slowest restocking arrangement will eventually deplete currently available stock.

With the third edition of ROTW, as it's affectionately known, 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.

In a news report from July of 2007, it was reported that Jack Hagerty, owner of ARA Press, was negotiating with Alway to bring the Rockets of the World Supplements publications back to market.

"I've been negotiating with Peter to take over production of his Supplements and maybe his other softcover pubs," Hagerty said last July. Hagerty stated that he and Alway hoped to announce an agreement formally at the National Association of Rocketry's NARAM-49 event in Kalamazoo, Michigan later that summer.

While deals were being inked, the National Association of Rocketry also got in the mix, and struck an agreement with Alway to bring back the primary Rockets of the World publication for distribution through NARTS, the National Association of Rocketry's Technical Services.

"The agreement was reached at NARAM last year and we are finally at the printer," Haggerty stated in a recent communication.

Printing of this new edition of Rockets of the World is being handled by Todd Schweim, the NAR's regular publisher who also publishes the NAR's Sport Rocketry magazine.

"The newest printing of ROTW has begun," Schweim stated. "Pretty slow, but still, it has begun."

The plan is to have the new printings available in time for NARAM-50, the National Association of Rocketry's Annual Meet, in Virginia next month, where attendees will be celebrating half a century of hobby rocketry for the organization. Target price for the book will be $35 for NAR members, with an additional 15% for non-members.

Websites: 

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

06-30-2008 06:51 PM  #1
hokkyokusei Certified Level One   Joined: Mar 2007 Posts: 10	Re: Christmas in July? ROTW scheduled to reappear at NARAM Quote: In a news report from July of 2007, it was reported that Jack Hagerty, owner of ARA Press, was negotiating with Alway to bring the Rockets of the World Supplements publications back to market. I'd like to see those gathered together into a hard-backed "Volume 2".

08-04-2008 01:32 PM  #2
William Slaughter Certified Level Two   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 47	Re: Christmas in July? ROTW scheduled to reappear at NARAM So, did they appear? Still not showing up on the NARTS web page. Sure do want to buy one asap.

08-04-2008 01:41 PM  #3
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 3155	Re: Christmas in July? ROTW scheduled to reappear at NARAM Quote: So, did they appear? Still not showing up on the NARTS web page. Sure do want to buy one asap. These were listed on the NAR president's email bulletin.