Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15

Rating:
Summary: A book for X-15 book collectors
Review: As one of the other reviewers noted, there are such a collection of previously not widely published photos that for that reason alone, X-15 enthusiasts should add this book to their collection.

While the quality of the typesetting, graphs and especially the photos is extremely high, I have some serious concern about the quality of the perfect binding. I treat my references gently, but this one already has me a bit concerned about the pages staying with it after even a bit of usage.

However, even if I had to use this loose-leaf, it would be added to my collection right away. Hard to imagine that such a trove of "good stuff" was not previously published.

Rating:
Summary: An invaluable contribution to Aviation History
Review: Collaboratively compiled and written by aviation experts Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis, Hypersonic: The Story Of The North American X-15 is an immensely detailed and comprehensive look at the North American X-15, the fastest airplane ever built, and the only vehicle ever flown by a pilot (instead of by a computer) into space and back. 500 black-and-white photographs, 50 color photographs, and 100 line drawings (including some never-before-seen images), are deftly paired with an in-depth commentary on both the history and the technical specifications of this superb aircraft. Hypersonic is a most memorable tribute to the predecessor of the Space Shuttle and an invaluable contribution to Aviation History reference collections.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Book on the X-15 Research Program
Review: Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis have produced the best volume I've ever seen on the history of the X-15. A fantastic collection of information on all aspects of the research program including hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, many of which I'd never seen before.

Dennis R. Jenkins has been doing a terrific job with his book on the development of The National Space Transportation System, SPACE SHUTTLE. HYPERSONIC is a must have for every space library. I can't wait to get a copy of X-15 PHOTO DIARY by the same authors, a collection of several hundred photos that didn't fit in this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Have Book on the X-15 Research Program
Review: Dennis R. Jenkins and Tony R. Landis have produced the best volume I've ever seen on the history of the X-15. A fantastic collection of information on all aspects of the research program including hundreds of color and black-and-white photographs, many of which I'd never seen before.

Dennis R. Jenkins has been doing a terrific job with his book on the development of The National Space Transportation System, SPACE SHUTTLE. HYPERSONIC is a must have for every space library. I can't wait to get a copy of X-15 PHOTO DIARY by the same authors, a collection of several hundred photos that didn't fit in this book.

Rating:
Summary: A revision would benefit from...
Review: Full-page size blueprints with dimensions & close ups of all the X-15 markings. (For scratch-built modeling purposes). Love the photos and the pilots first hand accounts of the flights that held surprises.

I own quite a number of aviation books and is by far my favorite (along with the companion scrapbook). An excellent job!

Rating:
Summary: Outta Sight!!
Review: I admit it- if it was built by North American, I'll usually like it.
But Jenkins and Landis have scored big with this book.
The X-15 was the most sucessful X-plane. but so much was unknown about what it did in it's 199 flights, and the fact is-it's successes were not yelled from the top of the N.A.A. plant at Los Angeles!
Everyone who loved that aircraft felt that there was a void until recently. The Apogee book and this one especially, tell the story about how we pursued entry into space with wings. "Hypersonic" is the book that future Historians will be using to learn about the fantastic feats that the X-15 accomplished. This volume and the follow up scrapbook are long overdue homage to those first early days of manned spaceflight!
This is THE must read book about the X-15!

Rating:
Summary: No binding problems here
Review: I am one of the authors, and was a bit concerned by a point raised in Mr. Reid's review. I appreciate that he liked the book, and I truly hope he enjoys it.

However, if Mr. Reid feels the binding is causing him concern, I suggest he contact the publisher. I have had my book (I get an advance) for a while now and have not noticed any cause for concern, and my copy has been extensively looked through by a lot of people. This printer generally turns out a very superior product, and I know that the publisher was excited by this book and would not have scrimped on the binding. Perhaps Mr. Reid simply somehow received a defective copy.

I urge Mr. Reid to call Specialty to resolve the issue. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading it and looking at all the great photos Tony managed to find for it.

Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: This is a fabulous book about the X-15, one of my favorite planes/spacecraft. It is full of beautiful illustrations and great text; it is an absolute must-have if you are in the least interetsed in the X-15 and the early space program.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent history of the X-15
Review: This is by far the best book I have ever seen on the X-15 project. The extensive flight log alone is worth the price of the book. The amount of detail in the text is staggering and many of the hundreds of photos were new to me. It is also very helpful that all of the photos are dated and linked to specific flights. I am also looking forward to the companion volume, containing another 400 photos, which will be published later this year.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: This is possibly the best book ever written about a research airplane. Perhaps best of all, it has forewords written by two X-15 pilots. The book covers the events leading up to the NACA deciding to build the airplane, the process that the military went through to fund it and the evolution of the configuration. The book takes the program all the way through finding the lakebeds that served as emergency landings sites and the development ifh the radar stations that tracked the X-15. The book contains hundreds of absolutely stunning photographs that I have never seen before and excellent color profiles of both the X-15 and the NB-52 carrier aircraft. This is a "must buy" for anybody interested in the X-15.