Pocket Einstein: 10 Short Lessons in Space Travel - Paul Parsons ****

This handsome little hardback manages to pack a surprising amount of information into the '10 short lessons' that are its chapters. Paul Parsons lucidly and engagingly takes us through the history and future of space travel. The prime focus is on human travel, though there's reasonable coverage of unmanned satellites and missions which, in practical terms have contributed far more both scientifically and usefully than manned missions.

Inevitably, Parsons brings up the big players of space history - the early days of the space race, Apollo, the International Space Station, the move towards more commercial players being involved - but  there is also the opportunity to explore the essentials of space travel, such as the physics of leaving the planet and the considerations of practical rocketry, space survival, the business possibilities and even the chances of reaching the stars. Here there is some brief exploration of some of the more science fictional aspects such as wormholes and warp drives, but also the far more realistic possibilities, for example of the Breakthrough Starshot project to send a flotilla of tiny spacecraft to Proxima Centauri at a reasonable fraction of the speed of light.

There is something here for both the beginner and the seasoned spaceflight enthusiast, all condensed into short chapters than are easy to consume on a commute or in a spare half hour. As someone who watched the Moon landing live, I have never lost the sense of wonder inspired by this remarkable undertaking, and Parsons manages to put this across well, while still underlining the many difficulties and limitations placed on human beings by the inhospitable environment of space. The book is enthusiastic without ever being a Pollyanna-like exposition that forgets just how hard the whole business of getting into space and surviving there is.

Any limitations the book has are primarily down to the format. The short lessons are easily digested, but being quite short do limit the content to mostly putting facts across without leaving room much storytelling. I personally find most of the additional features, such as the boxes (which I tend not to read) and the glossary (if technical terms aren't explained as you go they shouldn't be in the text) an unnecessary distraction. But the format - particularly the bite-sized chunks of the 10 lessons -  is probably part of what makes this an attractive book for many readers, so it has to be lived with. One other personal dislike is the use of the second person, which is done at the start of a couple of chapters (e.g. 'The feeling of anxiety in the pit of your stomach has grown close to nausea...' at the opening of the first lesson) - but it's not overdone.

Overall, an interesting and lively overview of space travel that should be enjoyed by many readers, both teenagers new to the topic and older readers who want to get a better handle on the topic.

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Review by Brian Clegg