First Men on the Moon (Great Journeys) - Hardcover

Tim Furniss

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1852106336 ISBN 13: 9781852106331

Publisher: Hodder Wayland, 1988

Synopsis

Early in the 20th century the dream of flying to the moon at last became possible. Germany was the first country to use rocket technology successfully during World War II and German expertise later augmented both the Russian and American space programmes. This book tells the story of the race that developed between these two countries to put the first human being into space, beginning with the launch of the first Sputnik satellite in 1957, and culminating in Apollo 11's successful landing on the moon in 1969. Tim Furniss is the author of many books on space, including "Our Future In Space".

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-- Both of these books are inviting, with large, full-color illustrations on every page, and balanced by a useful combination of specific facts and historical background; both, however, have flaws. The First Men on the Moon briefly describes the political and scientific preludes to the moon race and Apollo project, the backgrounds of the three Apollo 11 astronauts (Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins), the mission training, spacecraft and spacesuits used, and a step-by-step report of the mission and its aftermath. Authentic dialogue, photographs, and descriptions successfully recreate the exciting, historic moments. Unfortunately, the glossary entry for the Saturn 5 rocket refers to an Apollo II mission. The addresses listed in the "Finding Out More" section are misspelled and incorrectly constructed. The list of additional books consists solely of Watts titles, half of which were written by Furniss himself. Finally, awkward, occasionally incomplete sentences will confuse or misinform. The Travels of Marco Polo describes the highlights of Marco Polo's life up to, during, and after his travels, along with historical background about trade routes and areas mentioned, descriptions of daily life and customs as he observed them, and various aspects of Chinese civilization under the Mongol rule. Color illustrations include original paintings and route maps along with some reproductions of antique paintings, prints, maps, and both engraved and mosaic portraits of Marco Polo. Rugoff's Marco Polo's Adventures in China (Harper, 1964; o.p.) and Greene's Marco Polo: Voyager to the Orient (Childrens, 1987) include the same information in much greater detail. Both give modern names, locations, and explanations for the medieval people, places, and phenomena described whenever possible, which helps place the information in context in relation to today's world. Rosen does not, and he tends to relate Marco Polo's observations as factual, without reminding readers that these fantastic descriptions and enormous statistics describe the 13th century as one person saw it, and are not always absolute, verifiable truth. --Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Hodder Wayland
• Publication date: 1988
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1852106336
• ISBN 13: 9781852106331
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32