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From Booklist
Longer on biography than on technology, this account of the first space farers will appeal to spaceflight buffs. And in a subject densely populated with memoirs by its principal figures, French and Burgess have generated new material from their own interviews with some of the pioneering astronauts and cosmonauts. In addition, the authors incorporate the recollections of nurse Dee O'Hara, who worked with the Mercury astronauts, and of American aviatrixes involved in a program, little known today, that might have but ultimately did not produce the first female in space. That accolade more famously went in 1963 to Valentina Tereshkova, whose upbringing, attraction to aeronautics, life-changing flight, and postflight career represent the pattern in which the authors present the dozen-plus individuals who structure their text. Tracking the firsts in space history, like Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard, followed by the seconds, such as Gherman Titov and Virgil Grissom, French and Burgess' history will engage the space-program audience. A sequel is slated for publication later in 2007, covering the years 1965-69. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“[Into That Silent Sea dispenses with distracting technical jargon and nationalistic jingoism to deliver ten superbly composed, thoughtfully balanced chapters about the astronauts and cosmonauts who flew Mercury and Vostok/Voskhod missions. . . . Avid readers will revel in the authors’ masterful compilation of these straight-forward, detailed mini-biographies.”—Air Power History
(Dr. Rick W. Sturdevant Air Power History 20071001)“Unforgettable days and some unforgettable characters were brought vividly back to me by this truly wonderful book. They were fun times; they were also incredibly difficult, hard-working, and agonizing times, watching dear friends launch into space with my heart in my mouth. This book offers a treasure trove of memories.”—Dee O’Hara, nurse to the astronauts
(Dee O?Hara )“As well as vividly picturing the men, this book also accurately tells the story of the very first women to train for spaceflight in Russia—and women like me in America who hoped for the same opportunity to reach for the stars.”—Wally Funk, rocket pilot for Interorbital Systems Corporation
(Wally Funk )“Eminently readable, well-crafted. . . . The merits of this popular history rest in the elegant narrative and the authors’ thoughtful awareness of the space explorer genre.”—Air & Space Smithsonian
(Martin Collins Air & Space Smithsonian )“Eminently readable, well-crafted. . . . The merits of this popular history rest in the elegant narrative and the authors’ thoughtful awareness of the space explorer genre.”—Air & Space Smithsonian
(The Space Review (website) )
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
My wife's review of Into That Silent Sea,
By
This review is from: Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 (Hardcover)
As the wife of a fanatical space enthusiast, I have frequently found myself accompanying my husband to lectures, presentations and autograph shows - my role was never more than to act as gofer, holder, porter, etc. Thanks to 'Into That Silent Sea', this has all changed. I feel knowledgeable, competent and keen to engage in a dialogue of my own with these incredible people. I never would have believed that I would ever have described a book covering the history of space travel as being unputdownable. But, truly, it was and here are the reasons why:I enjoyed the straightforward language in which it was written. At no time was I ever bamboozled by highly technical spacespeake. It was akin to reading a detective story all the way from Gagarin's first spaceflight to Alexei Leonov's spacewalk. (I once had my photograph taken with him - next time I will be able to talk intelligibly with him!). One always wanted to read on and on and see what happened next. My interest was held as I learned about the personal lives of the astronauts / cosmonauts and those near and dear to them. Their missions and their own much later thoughts about those missions was absorbing, but it was equally intriguing to learn about their origins, their time as children, their developing interests in aerospace, etc. I thank the authors of 'Into That Silent Sea' for opening my eyes to a whole new sphere of interest.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Puts you in the space race with those who lived it,
By Rupert Morley (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 (Hardcover)
It has been almost 50 years since mankind first slipped the bonds of earth to explore the heavens. Since then, space exploration has given us some of the most spectacular and memorable moments in history from the first moon-landing on Apollo 11 to the drama of Apollo 13 and the devastation of the Challenger and Columbia disasters. The material already written on these programmes would likely stretch from here to the moon, and many would be forgiven for assuming that there's nothing new to write on the subject. However, authors Francis French and Colin Burgess have found a new angle and made a most worthy contribution to the history of our greatest adventure.What separates "Into that Silent Sea" and "In the Shadow of the Moon" from many other books on the space programme is that they focus on the men and women who made it all possible. This is a people's history of space and examines that magnificent race from the perspective of those who lived it and did it: whether running the programmes or riding the rockets. Through their genuine interest in the subject matter, Burgess and French won the trust of the astronauts, cosmonauts and the lesser-known or forgotten space pioneers who toiled behind the scenes. The reward for their dedication and sincerity were stories that in many cases have never been told before and provide a fresh perspective on the early days of spaceflight. The end result are two books that rank amongst the very best written on the subject. Not only do these books provide a most welcome perspective on a truly remarkable endeavour, but they are also extremely well written and thoroughly readable. These books transport you to a time when the two great superpowers were competing for control of the ultimate high ground while the rest of the world watched in awe and perhaps bewilderment. It proves that while the men and women who rode these rockets were indeed the best, bravest and brightest of that or any other time, they were also mere humans with their own foibles, insecurities, peculiarities and curiosities. If you want a truly human history of spaceflight, these books are the very best available.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating stories about those who flew into that "silent sea" of space!,
By
This review is from: Into That Silent Sea: Trailblazers of the Space Era, 1961-1965 (Hardcover)
A fantastic job, not only in bringing to the fore many otherwise never to be enjoyed stories, but also managing to maintain a keen, intrinsic sense of "wonderment" about the human experience in space. I haven't seen an example of writing like this since Andy Chaikin's "A Man On The Moon" book. I especially enjoyed the present-day comments shared by those who were there when those historical events happened. The cosmonaut chapters were beautifully done as well! This book is just a joy to read!
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