Our Wonderful Earth (1951)

Our Wonderful Earth is actually a geology title from 1951. However at the time space-type stuff was in fashion so they mixed in a space theme and these neat colored illustrations.

Townsend, Herbert. Our Wonderful Earth :The story of how it became the great round earth it is today. Boston : Allyn and Bacon. 152 p. 27 cm.

A Look at the Moon (1962)

Sorry for the holiday gap. Lots more to share this month so let's start with John Polgreen. J0hn Polgreen illustrated stories in many magazines and books including the Saturday Evening Post. He also illustrated The Golden Book of Astronomy (1955).

Polgreen, John and Polgreen, Cathy. Illustrated by Polgreen, John and Polgreen, Cathy. A Look at the Moon. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co Inc. (24 p.) 27 cm.

This book gives simple facts about the Moon and its surface. A few nice illustrations of the Moon's surface as well as spaceships and astronauts. Has a detailed appendix for the teacher or parent giving more facts about the Moon.

I love how simple and charming his illustrations are in this. What child wouldn't want to be skipping across the moon someday?

The Young Traveller in Space / Going into Space (1954)

Two children's books from Arthur C. Clarke!

The Young Traveller in Space was a British children's book. That same year he used some of the content from that book to publish another space book for children called Going into Space. When Going into Space made its way to the United States it also (somehow) became a newsstand publication from Trend Books called Going into Space. However it was marketed as a general space book rather than a juvenile one. Does that mean that British youth have the same mental capacity as American adults?




Clarke, Arthur C. Illustrated by Frodsham, G.A., Smith, R.A. and others. Going into Space. New York: Harper and Brothers. (117 p.) 22 cm.

Text and illustrations concern the history of rockets, conditions in space, space station, Moon landings and planetary exploration. No space art rather a center section of photographs. Also a UK edition "The Young Traveler in Space" (1954) with similar but not identical text and different illustrations.

Clarke, Arthur C. Illustrated by Frodsham, G.A., Smith, R.A. and others. Going into Space. Los Angeles: Trend Books. (128 p.) 24 cm. Softcover.

Softcover reprint (see description above). Sub-titled: “An expert’s exciting blueprint for man’s interplanetary future”. "Trend Book" (#150).

Clarke, Arthur C . Illustrated by Blandford, Edmund Louis, Frodsham, G.A. and Smith, R.A. The Young Traveler in Space . London : Phoenix House Ltd. (72 p.) 28 cm.

Text and illustrations concern the history of rockets, conditions in space, space station, Moon landings and planetary exploration. Text concludes with predictions about when the first Moon landing will be and how children can prepare themselves for the future. Also an American edition, called "Going Into Space" (1954) with similar but not identical text and different illustrations.

Either way these books had some great illustrations

Moonshot 1970 (1967)

Moonshot 1970 was published in 1967. At the time the optimistic title made a lot of sense. It seemed like we were on a roll and this booklet explained how we would get there. But this pamphlet was popular enough to take several journeys of its own while we were working our way to the moon.

Lomask, Martha . Illustrated by Mellor, Gordon. Moonshot 1970. Columbus, OH: For Children, Inc. (33 p.) 18 cm. "Grow-ahead"

Just for fun, they issued a 1968 version with a 3-d pop-up in the back which they called "Our Man on the Moon":

Also available in 1968 as a free premium on the giant size of Thrill dish soap.

In 1969 you could read this pamphlet as a give-away from Tang as "The Big Trip to the Moon" complete with Tang advertisement on the back or...

Finally while you were flying on TWA in 1969 you could read "Moonshot 1970" all over again.

The Moon (1963)

Another book about the Moon. But what is special about this one is it's creative link to a much older space art book. In 1874, James Nasmyth and James Carpenter published, The Moon. A large and lavishly illustrated volume, its numerous plates were reproduction of photographs of plaster models of portions of the lunar surface, seen both telescopically from Earth and as they would appear to an observer on the Moon.

Brenna, Virgilio. Illustrated by Brenna, Virgilio. The Moon. New York: Golden Press. (104 p.) 29 cm.

In this unique book many of the pictures in it are also composites of paintings and photographs of a plaster model of the moon's surface. The text covers what is known about the Moon, the theories of formation, geography and geological processes. It has no illustrations of rockets or space flight but the picture/paintings of the Moon's surface are wonderful to see.

Lion Annual (1957)

Lion Weekly was a weekly newspaper for boys, with stories, comic strips, and useful facts. Some of the best of each year were collected in annuals. I look for these annuals because although the majority of material is fictional they often had non-fiction articles and illustrations about the future of space flight.

"When We Reach the Moon" is one of those fantastic treasures hidden away.

Boy's Own Paper (Oct 1966)

Sorry for the lack of posts, life has gotten busy for a while. So here is a delta winged beauty for you.

Boy's Own Paper (BOP) was one of a couple of British magazines for kids that had a mixture of fact and fiction.

I still remember when we thought this was the shape of the future for rocket ships as well as the memorable break-up of one as depicted in the opening credit to the Six Million Dollar Man.