Colliers Part 3 : Oct 25, 1952

The 3rd part of the 8 part Colliers space series has been put online in the Nov/Dec issue of IAAA Houston Newsletter "Horizons".  This one covers the second Moonlanding issue: "More about man on the Moon". This are the best digital versions of these illustrations you will ever see. Be sure to check them out.

http://www.aiaahouston.org/newsletter/

A Trip to Outer Space with Santa (1952)

Always grab the good stuff even if it is in poor condition. I had not seen this comic before and having been saving it for my Christmas post this year.  It has been a very long and complicated year for me with many joys and disappointments.  But the holidays are finally here and life seems to be settling down.

Here are my past Xmas postings:

The Moon Christmas Coloring Book (1970)
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2012/01/moon-christmas-coloring-book-1970.html

Woolworth's Jolly Christmas Book (1951)
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2012/01/moon-christmas-coloring-book-1970.html

A Trip to Outer Space with Santa was a 1952 department store give-away. A department store could print their own logo on a comic and give it to their customers.

The story is very simple (maybe the inspiration for Santa Claus vs the Martians?) where Santa needs to go to Mars.



Santa seems to have a lot of problems getting the toys made so Mars seems like a logical solution.  Since space flight was trendy among children at the time, the comics has a space game in the middle about the journey to Mars.

The drawings show the Buck Rogers future is on Mars. The other thing that charms me about this item is the space suits and Santa ship. Here is your own Christmas ornaments!  Illustrations you can (print-out) and cut-out to make your own explorer and ship.

Santa finds what he needs on Mars, (imported labor) and I love the  Martians with jet packs heading home.





I hope you have a grand holiday and are with those you love.  I will see you again in 2013 with more cool space stuff.

Space Carnival: The Story Behind Our Space Trips (1970)

This is pretty fun. This was sort of an early find your own adventure book. You would spin the dial and follow the story of a visit to Cape Kennedy, learning all about space flight. The story follows a boy exploring various aspects of astronaut training and the space program. After reading each section you spin to find out which of 5 possible sections you go to next.

Sorry there are not more scans, one of those books I need to dig out of the archives and re-scan.

Mountain, Dr Lee. Illustrated by Love, Dane. Space Carnival: The Story Behind Our Space Trips. Indianapolis, IN: Pictorial Publishers Inc. (42 p.) 29 cm. Illustrated Boards. 1970

 

Flying in Space (1961)

This is a book I have had my eye on for ages. It appears occasionally in ebay but always for outrageous prices.  Well for Xmas this year I decided now was the time.  From even the little I had seen of this book its paintings are incredibly beautiful, to add the pop-ups on top of that, and you get a great unsung children's space book.

Flying in Space. Prague, Czech Republic. 18p. 9.2 x 13.2 in. 1961

 So excuse me for being struck with the beauty of this book, even the back cover is a work of art.

 The back of the book is a pop-up space port

While the front of the book is the cover illustration expanded to fly the ship over the Moon.

The Russian style of space art has a romantic quality about it. Both the techniques and that was they choose to soften the lines makes it very dreamy.

I do wonder if the text tells me what kind of propulsion system they are using. It looks like the ancestor of the Discovery from 2001.

As I said a jewel of a book.

Earth and Space Guide for Elementary Teachers (1961)

Back when spaceflight was new even the teachers had to study so they could explain it to their class. Here is a guide from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Education.

Pennsylvania Dept. of Public Instruction. Earth and space guide for elementary teachers.
Pennsylvanica: The Department, 1961. 67 p. Issue 3 of Curriculum services series

How would you answer these questions for a 2nd grade student?

Fight for Speed (1952)

Another early Russian children's book. This book was about the wonders of technology, how it would improve and change the world.  I have chosen to take just the space flight portion for today's highlight.

Lyapunov, B. Fight for Speed. Moscow: Young Guard, (238 p.) 1952

 Detail of the cover, a great image!

This is a typical illustration from the majority of the book, how technology is used in land, sea, and space in the "fight for speed".

This diagram suggests a V-2 rocket tail and the basics of rocket propulsion.

Illustrations from the history of rocketry (Russian version) with the ideas of escape velocity, rocket motors, and multi-staged rockets.

The Russian artists really love to illustrate Saturn as a planet for conquest, probably because it was so pretty in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An excellent space station

 The first men to see the Moon from up close. I especially like the "lever" controls for the rocket.

 I continue to be facinated how the western and eastern visions of our space future were passed on in such similar illustrations.

Astronautics (1960)

I'm searching a little harder for books I haven't shared before. Here is a gem witten by the British astronomer Patrick Moore and illustrated by one of the best modern space artists David A. Hardy. Patrick Moore was the Carl Sagan of Britain when it came to astronomy and other spacy stuff.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Moore

This book was part of a schoolboy series of non-fiction books. Interesting and short books to capture the mind. Even though this one is only 71 pages it has a nice description of the history of space flight and a few drawings of the possible future in space from the British point of view.

Moore, Patrick. Illustrated by Hardy, D.A. Astronautics. London: Methuen. (71 p.) 26 cm. Cloth, DJ.

Part of the Methuen's outlines series. 1960.