Scan barcode
pripyet's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing book. The pictures are so clear and stunning.
sfian's review
4.0
Essentially an art book, Light has taken a number of photographs from the various Apollo missions and placed them in such an order as to tell the story of one fictitious mission to the moon and back, split into three sections - the outbound journey, on the surface and back to Earth.
It is a thing of beauty and another worthy book to "read" through on the anniversary of mankind's first steps on another world. The clarity of the photos is amazing and they do tell a story. There are two essays, one by the "author" which, for me was a little dry in places, slightly too technical for a non-photographer, but still interesting, the other (and, in my opinion, better and more interesting) briefly tells the story of the missions, using quotes from the astronauts.
I have just two quibbles that prevent this book getting five stars. Firstly, the photos are silent, with no description or credits until after the essays, when thumbnail versions are presented, with descriptions and commentary. Personally I would have preferred the two to be combined, instead of having to flip back to the main photo to pair up the words and imagery fully. Secondly, the books has been sitting on my shelves, unread, since I bought it and hasn't really stood the test of time. The weight of the pages has dragged them down, putting stress on the bottom, away-from-the-spine corners, spoiling them slightly. Also, one pair of pages has come away from the binding. Badly put together, or just unlucky?
It is a thing of beauty and another worthy book to "read" through on the anniversary of mankind's first steps on another world. The clarity of the photos is amazing and they do tell a story. There are two essays, one by the "author" which, for me was a little dry in places, slightly too technical for a non-photographer, but still interesting, the other (and, in my opinion, better and more interesting) briefly tells the story of the missions, using quotes from the astronauts.
I have just two quibbles that prevent this book getting five stars. Firstly, the photos are silent, with no description or credits until after the essays, when thumbnail versions are presented, with descriptions and commentary. Personally I would have preferred the two to be combined, instead of having to flip back to the main photo to pair up the words and imagery fully. Secondly, the books has been sitting on my shelves, unread, since I bought it and hasn't really stood the test of time. The weight of the pages has dragged them down, putting stress on the bottom, away-from-the-spine corners, spoiling them slightly. Also, one pair of pages has come away from the binding. Badly put together, or just unlucky?
bookwomble's review
5.0
This is a beautifully produced book of images taken primarily from the Apollo moon missions (there's a couple from the earlier Gemini missions, too), which after 40-odd years are still breathtaking.
The photographs are presented on black pages with only the image numbering as text. Captions are given for each photograph at the end of the book and, while this means much flicking back and forth on a first read, allows the images to stand for themselves when you go back over them, which I certainly will.
There are several of the iconic images that have entered the global consciousness: Ed White's spacewalk; Earthrise from lunar orbit; Buzz Aldrin's footprint in the lunar "soil", "Full Earth": but mostly they are taken from NASA archives which have not been widely circulated.
There's a short essay by the author at the end of the book, describing how he conceived the project and the rationale for his choice of pictures to include.
I don't understand how anybody could not be moved by these amazing photographs that document what is still the crowning achievement of human culture. If you think the moon-landings were a hoax, shame on you.
The photographs are presented on black pages with only the image numbering as text. Captions are given for each photograph at the end of the book and, while this means much flicking back and forth on a first read, allows the images to stand for themselves when you go back over them, which I certainly will.
There are several of the iconic images that have entered the global consciousness: Ed White's spacewalk; Earthrise from lunar orbit; Buzz Aldrin's footprint in the lunar "soil", "Full Earth": but mostly they are taken from NASA archives which have not been widely circulated.
There's a short essay by the author at the end of the book, describing how he conceived the project and the rationale for his choice of pictures to include.
I don't understand how anybody could not be moved by these amazing photographs that document what is still the crowning achievement of human culture. If you think the moon-landings were a hoax, shame on you.
More...