Ignition! by John D. Clark

Rocket science in the recent past by an author who had his hands in every sort of rocket fuel and lived to tell about it. Applied chemistry in its most dangerous form. Aptly titled, the book is full of euphemisms for uncontrolled explosions. It is hard to overstate how dangerous these experiments were. This book apparently is in the public domain. The chemistry was beyond me but I enjoyed the audacity and courage of these pioneers. Rocket science really is rocket science.