Popular Mechanics The Amazing Weapons That Never Were: Robots, Flying Tanks & Other Machines of War Hardcover – November 6, 2012

I bought this book because I'm a huge fan of Greg Benford, a writer whose background and experience put solid science back into science fiction. His introductions and explanations of these Popular Mechanics stories from the past make them more than simply charming. In many of his notes, he delivers the brutal verdict of history: "Of course, this would never have worked." But the enthusiasm of the inventors, misplaced though it may be, is respected. Great fun for fans of retrospective futurism.

Honestly this is why I bought it. The articles are well written and the images just what you'd expect from the time periods covered. In reality a lot of these ideas resurfaced and became workable. Its always interesting though to see how far back these ideas go. Example: A 1928 prediction that foretold of a special addition to a parachutists clothing allowing them to control their passage through the air prior to pulling the rip-cord. Entire suits now exist that allow sky-divers (a term that did not exist in 1928) to control their descent. An excellent book.

I really love reading both Popular editions, Science & Mechanics, and this book was one I couldn't pass up. Weapons that never were, but had been considered, and in some cases, even designed before scraping. Massive airships that could land airplanes on their flat-decked tops, and tanks the size of buildings - all make one smile until one realizes these were actual things someone thought up and considered worthy of attention. Many are the children of the staff at both magazines and and of those a few are truly idiotic and completely unrealistic, with little attention to science, despite the source of material. Many were actually created, though in a different version and certainly in a much different way - the results being they worked and are still used today. Manufacture of weapons was once a matter of material available, e.g. to make a bow you had to have the right wood and some string to fire the arrows with. Today we can make the material desired and then create the weapon from it. Plastics and ceramics have come so far they are barely recognizable on the shelves of our gun stores or Wal-marts. Pictures are enjoyable with bright primary colors so they stand out on each page and everything in the book is given a short history and often it is revealed were the idea may have gone or what became of the creator. Worth the cost of admission and is able to be flipped through many, many times - randomly reading it over several sittings under a good reading lamp and over a sofa cushion that is a favorite, for you will be there a spell!

Over the years since it started publication, Popular Mechanicshas always covered the science of new weapons systems and what it foresaw as future developments of such. This book is a hard bound collection of these reports and proposed weapon developments from the WWI era through the 1960s, weather they actually were attempted and failed or were modified into what did become factual weapons or just were plain science fiction and were never even attempted beyond the proposal stage. An interesting premise and collection. It's also a bit comical and a bit terrifying in what was considered as feasible! And what could have been...in an alternate reality! This volume is a companion to a similar volume on household appliances and inventions that were proposed and envisioned for the future of the late 20th century by PM also! Makes a unique set. But one read is enough, so I only gave it a four star rating....a reader of PM over the years would want it in their library..as would a science teacher, etc. otherwise, you'll probably prefer to get it from the library, read it, and take it back! Or a grand pop who wants to tell his grandkids what they expected today to be like!

A very enjoyable book. I truly enjoyed both the text and the illustrations. It was very enlightening to discover what had been predicted...and, particularly, what predictions actually came true!

A must have for any gaget, tinkerer and developing technology enthusiast. A fascinating trip down memory lane from the Great War to the early 1970's.

I enjoyed this book a lot; then the family that I actually bought it for loved it! Thanks for great service and a great product.

brings back memories from the 1950's.