Book
Reviews
There are many X-Plane related books
available that provide varying degrees of detail and historic images.
This page lists some of the books that are currently available, a
review of the books and provides links to purchase these books on
line.
Our review rating is pretty simple:
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Title: HYPERSONIC:
The Story of the North American X-15
Author:
Dennis Jenkins and Tony Landis
Publisher: Specialty
Press
Rating: 
Few
would argue that the most productive and successful of all the
X-Planes was the X-15. Such a heralded flight program deserves a
written and illustrated tribute worthy of its accomplishments.
HYPERSONIC: The Story of the North American X-15 is without
question the finest illustrated history of the X-15 program ever
produced.
From the cover to cover, HYPERSONIC
is filled with rare and impressive photos and illustrations of
the X-15, including early concept drawings, design proposals, and
unused concepts. The book is also filled with an amazing array of
highly detailed images of components of the X-15 including the
cockpit, control surfaces, engine assemblies, etc.
The reader
could easily spend hours pouring over the impressive images in this
book, but this is much more than a book of great pictures. Authors
Dennis Jenkins and Tony Landis have chronicled the X-15
program from its inception through final flight in a highly detailed
yet interesting style. This is not, however, the typical
"cheer-leader" review so often encountered in publications
of this nature. The authors spend considerable time discussing the
merits and demerits of the early X-Plans programs, their true
contributions to aviation and military research and their scientific
effectiveness.
Any student of aerospace history, fan of the
X-15 program or any one with a passing interest of the history of the
United States X-Planes programs should treat themselves to this
excellent book.
Purchase this book from
Amazon.com:
Or direct from Specialty Press:
Title: X-15
Photo Scrapbook
Author:
Dennis Jenkins and Tony Landis
Publisher: Specialty
Press
Rating:
It
seems that the authors of HYPERSONIC: The
Story of the North American X-15 ran
out of book before they ran out of pictures, which turns out to be a
good thing for X-15 fans. X-15 Photo Scrapbook is
a companion volume to HYPERSONIC: The Story of the North American
X-15, and , as its name implies, is a compilation of photos and
images of the X-15 program.
This 108 page, paperback includes many hitherto unseen images including engineering, construction, pre and post flight. This is definitely the book for those of us that love to learn from pictures instead of words.
X-15 Photo Scrapbook is not a stand-alone edition, as it assumes a thorough knowledge of the X-15 program. The authors clearly except the reader to have completed HYPERSONIC: The Story of the North American X-15 before reading this book.
If
you love history presented in images with few words, X-15 Photo
Scrapbook is for you.
Purchase
this book from Amazon.com: 
Or direct from Specialty Press: 
Title: The
X-Planes: X-1
to X-45
Author: Jay Miller (Introduction by Chuck
Yeager)
Publisher: Specialty
Press
Rating:
Jay
Miller's classic book, now in its 3rd edition cover all of the
X-planes (manned and unmanned) in great detail with many rare
photographs. This book is absolute must reading for anyone with even
a passing interest in the American X-Plane programs. Miller manages
to be very detailed without being dry.
The X-Planes
chronicles each of the x-planes with its own detailed section.
Information provided for each program includes the history, and
mission of each of the x-planes, number of each built, disposition of
remaining aircraft, etc. Also included is an outstanding Color
Portfolio section with many rare, full color images. The
appendix, bibliography and index are thorough and useful.
This
book can be used for quick reference or more exhaustive research. It
includes many photographs, charts and drawings that I have not seen
in any other resource.
Purchase this book from
Amazon.com:
Or direct from Specialty Press:
Title: At the Edge of
Space: The X-15 Flight
Program
Author: Milton O. Thompson
Publisher:
Smithsonian Institution Press
Rating:
Who
can better describe a test program better than a participating pilot?
This is a very interesting, first-hand account of the X-15 program,
written by 14 flight veteran Milton (Milt) Thompson.
This
book is best suited to the X-Plane enthusiast that has a general
working knowledge of the X-15. Thompson's test pilot expertise is
evident in his writing, typically very interesting and helpful, but
at times he assumes that the reader has previous knowledge of the
subject he is discussing. Overall, this writing style does little to
detract from the book, but at times the reader need to re-read a
section to better understand the subject being explained.
At the Edge of Space is a must read for all X-15 fans or those interested in the life and work of a test pilot.
Purchase this
book from Amazon.com:
Title: X-Planes at Edwards
Author:
Steve Pace
Publisher: Motorbook International
Rating:
With
the title X-Planes at Edwards and a great photo of the X-29 in
flight, this books appears quite promising from the outset. But as
you read the book you find little new information. This book is
largely a paraphrase of other, readily available information that
seems to be randomly assembled.
One positive note is the high quality photos used throughout the book. Most every page in the book includes 1 or more beautiful, full color photo, some that I have not seen published in any other books.
If you want a compact X-Planes book with great photos, you may want to consider this book, but there are other books that you will probably find more useful.
Purchase this book
from Amazon.com:
Title: Soviet
X-Planes
Author:
Yefim Gordon and Bill Gunston
Publisher: Midland Pubishing (UK).
Distributed in the US by Specialty
Press
Rating:
Soviet
X-Planes is something of the
Soviet counterpart to Jay Ward's The X-Planes.
Something in that, well the Soviets don't really have X-Plane
designations, instead their eXperimental planes carry such exiting
names are “Belyayev Babochka” and “Tupolev ANT-29”.
But I digress, this is a book review, not a review for the former
Soviet Union's ability to name an experimental airplane.
Unlike The X-Planes, which covers “only” 45 experimental programs, Soviet X-Planes discusses fully 150 Soviet (and post-Soviet Russian) programs. The book is filled with photos and illustrations accompanied with somewhat dry historical text.
What is most interesting about this book is how closely some of the Soviet programs so coincidently paralleled the US programs (examples: the Sukhoi T-4, 100 was a near cookie cutter replica of the XB-70, and the Molniy Buran BTS-002 looks nearly identical to the US Space Shuttle).
Many of the Soviet efforts are truly strange and out-right dangerous looking. One look at the BOK-5, BiCh-17 or Florov 4302 would have made any American test pilot loose sleep.
Soviet X-Planes
is an interesting read, plimarily for the hard-core X-Plane fan.
Purchase
this book from
Amazon.com: 
Or direct from Specialty Press: 