Cold War Space Sleuths: The Untold Secrets of the Soviet Space Program (Space Exploration)

From the reviews:

“This compilation of ten accounts ... sheds light on how amateur watchers used open intelligence sources to shed light on the Soviet space program. Collectively, the writings help readers understand this realm of Soviet studies up to the early 1990s. ... The accounts thus offer both insights and anecdotes but double as autobiographical sketches by combining elements of diaries, travel logs, and social histories. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Space history collections, upper-division undergraduates and above, general readers.” (G. P. de Syon, Choice, Vol. 50 (11), August, 2013)

“A network of amateur sleuths, scattered throughout the world, attempted to penetrate the veil of secrecy and eventually succeeded. ‘Cold War Space Sleuths: The Untold Secrets of the Soviet Space Program,’ edited by Dominic Phelan, tells their stories. ... For those interested in space history and the space race, ‘Cold War Space Sleuths’ will offer a fresh and innovative perspective. It recaptures the excitement of the era through the eyes of enthusiastic researchers.” (Mark Lardas, The Galveston County Daily News, March, 2013)

“This book ... is a fascinating collection of memories of space sleuths, those self-defined individuals who throughout the Cold War era (and beyond) became dedicated amateur observers of the Soviet space program. ... For anyone interested in space history, this provides a detailed overview of those tenacious individuals at the end of the 20th century who dedicated their lives to opening up information for the general public.” (James T. Andrews, Quest: The History of Spaceflight, Vol. 20 (3), 2013)