Happy Journeys (1961)

 

Here is wishing you Happy Journeys (1961) in 2024. 

Happy Journeys was a 1961 children's book about the future and ways someone might travel. The illustration were double page full color paintings of a exciting and strange future that might be around the corner. I see in this book the optimism we need to accept that the future will be better but we sometime can't imagine what it will really look like. I wish all my readers a great 2024 and many happy surprises.

Some of these "visions" look familiar, like they happened, but not as we thought, others are still to come.

Pekelis, V. Веселое Путешествие (Happy Journeys.) Moscow: Detgiz. (52 p.) 1961.

REALLY

AMAZING 

TRAINS (Anyone see Snowpiercer?)

DOMED CITIES (or Stadiums?)

READING, LISTENING TO MUSIC, WATCHING MOVIES IN YOUR CAR

INSTANT HOUSES

KIDS RIDING ELECTRIC BIKES TO SCHOOL (but no helicopters yet)

BUT NO HELICOPTER TRAFFIC EITHER

GIANT MOVIES IN THE SKY

MACHINES THAT DELIVER ENDLESS BOOKS

EXPLORING THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN

PLANES TAKING YOU AROUND THE WORLD

ROCKETS LEAVING EARTH

PEOPLE ON THE MOON

PEOPLE LIVING IN SPACE

COLONIZING MARS

TELESCOPES SHOWING NEW FAR-OFF PLACES TO VISIT

 

The Moon Christmas Coloring Book (1970)

 

Here is another favorite rescanned since it's last posting 11 years ago. It was a coloring book that was a give-away from Lord and Taylor's Department stores. With it's moon dust snowflakes and 1970s design it is a winner every Christmas.  I especially enjoy how Santa has to get into shape and be briefed on his mission to the Moon.

Merry Christmas on the Moon (and on Earth too...) to you all! Thanks for sticking with the mission.

The Moon Christmas Coloring Book. London: Lord and Taylors Dept. Store. (19 p.) 1970

Some Day I'll Be an Aerospace Engineer (1967)

 

A "career book' today to inspire young people to pursue engineering. This is a little later in the space race but they did have a clear plan laid out for creating the engineers they might need. The school library was usually full of these career books to inspire academic asperations. This one is probably dull to many of you but since I know some current aerospace engineers who had no idea in grade school what they might do.

Also this has a nice couple of pages on women in aerospace, which was a newer phenonium. 

Splaver, Sarah. Some Day I’ll be an Aerospace Engineer. New York: Hawthorn Books. (80 p.) 1967.