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James R. Hansen - First Man (The Life of Neil A. Armstrong) (2nd Hand Paperback)
SKU B003060
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Original price
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Synopsis
Now a major motion picture, the New York Times-bestselling, first-and only-definitive authorized biography of Neil Armstrong, one of America's most celebrated yet enigmatic heroes.
In First Man, Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over 50 hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.
When Apollo 11 touched down on the moon's surface in 1969, the first man on the moon became a legend. Hansen vividly recreates Armstrong's career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative trans-atmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrong's storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children. In the years since the Moon landing, rumours swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life.
This book reveals the man behind the myth. In a penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. In First Man, the personal, technological, epic, and iconic blend to form the portrait of a great but reluctant hero who will forever be known as history's most famous space traveller.
Details
- Format : Thicker 2nd Hand Paperback
- Condition : As New
- Category : Non-Fiction - Autobiography & Biography
- Published : 2005 (This Film Tie-In Edition 2018 - Simon & Schuster)
- ISBN : 9781471177897
- SKU : B003060
- PPC : SP400gm
- RRP : £8.99
- Quantity Available : 1 only.
External Reviews
'This impressively documented and engagingly written biography will stand the test of time.' - Library Journal.
'Masterfully written . . . technically accurate, scholarly yet independent and accessible . . . Mission accomplished and a perfect touchdown.' - Leonard David, Ad Astra, The Magazine of the National Space Society.
'Hansen's research is staggeringly impressive . . . A work that has great appeal for anyone interested in why we explore, who we are in this aerospace age, and what it was about the United States that could enable a little kid from Wapakoneta, Ohio, to take that one small step at Tranquillity Base in the summer of 1969. A must read!' - Richard P. Hallion, chief historian for the U.S. Air Force.
'Let it be said at once that his book is an outstanding success. It has been immaculately researched and is packed with detail, but written in a way that will appeal to readers of all kinds...this is an important book, and should be in every scientific library.' - Sir Patrick Moore, Times Higher Educational Supplement.
'The man was a fine engineer, a good pilot - although there is some dispute about that - patriotic, cool, courageous and hard-working, just the sort of guy you want next to you when the chips are down.' - Sunday Times.
'Although he was the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong has always been the least public of the Apollo 11 astronauts. He has seldom given interviews, or lent his name to merchandising tat, or haunted the same professional old-boy circuit as his former colleagues . . . But at 75, he's finally decided to break his silence - or to have it broken for him by his official biographer,' - James R. Hansen, Sunday Telegraph.
The Author
James R. Hansen is a professor emeritus of history at Auburn University. A former historian for NASA, Hansen is the author of twelve books on the history of aerospace and a two-time nominee for the Pulitzer Prize in History. His 1995 book Spaceflight Revolution was nominated for the Pulitzer by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the only time NASA ever nominated a book for the prize. He served as co-producer for the major motion picture First Man, which is based on his New York Times bestselling biography of Neil Armstrong. Hansen lives in Auburn, Alabama.