These days, few have heard of the Skylark sounding rocket. Yet, in November 1957, it was the first British rocket to reach space and became the basis of Britain's earliest space programme. Over the next 48 years hundreds more were fired, launching into space thousands of instruments that made pioneering observations of the Earth, Sun, stars and galaxies. Here for the first time is the full story of the Skylark rocket, a fascinating story of the birth of British rocket technology and space science, a tale that started at the end of WWII and lasted until 2005. This book is written in an accessible style, but with considerable academic merit, as it is based on many years of original research, carefully documented within its pages. It is profusely illustrated with hundreds of figures and photographs, many never before published. The account will be of interest to all who are interested in how space science evolved, in the history of British technology and spaceflight, and who wish to learn more of these aspects of post-war engineering history.