Martian Outpost: The Challenges of Establishing a Human Settlement on Mars

From the reviews:

“Martian Outpost is THE book to read if you’re interested in the future of manned space exploration. It is certainly in my top three best books about Mars missions. ... There’s a lot of discovering to do in ‘Martian Outpost’ and if you plan to read only one book about Mars missions in your life, then I’d recommend this one.” (Kadri Tinn, AstroMadness.com, November, 2013)

“The main areas treated here concern planning, mission architecture and design, landing, propulsion systems and mission hardware with a concentration on the NASA Ares I-Ares V system concepts. ... useful to readers interested in space technology for its survey of planned spacecraft and missions for a trip to Mars and for its overview of some of the issues involved in setting up a Mars base. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.” (A. M. Strauss, Choice, Vol. 47 (5), January, 2010)

"Predicting the future is always a gamble. ... With Erik Seedhouse’s book, the planning and requirements for such a complex and difficult mission are laid out for all to see. ... The book also covers the options for landing and ascent on Mars, and has quite detailed planning breakdowns for the mission timeline. ... The book is a really easy read and should be an immediate purchase for anyone interested in how man will get to Mars." (Nick Howes, Astronomy Now, December, 2009)