Man Made Sun: The Quest for Fusion Power

Well this is a broad question, so this can't be a single answer. But.. for a historical overview, albiet one that's dated, you want to read Man Made Sun by Heppenheimer. If you have not read anything by this guy, prepare to enjoy yourself. It is literally a can't-put-it-down book about the history of fusion. if you are looking for a modern summary of the field, The Future of Fusion Energy is what you want. if you want the basic tech/physics, there is a very old book also called Man Made Sun by Jukes that is totally readable and covers all the basics. An alternate is Bishop's Project Sherwood, which is now available online and can be downloaded as a PDF. and perhaps the most important of all, The Fairy Tale of Nuclear Fusion by Reinders, which clearly explains why none of this makes a difference in the end result.