Read "Ignition!" by John Clark. https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612 https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612 . Mostly about search for liquid rocket

Read "Ignition!" by John Clark. https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612 https://archive.org/details/ignition_201612 . Mostly about search for liquid rocket fuels, but talks about the industry as a whole to some extent.