Dreams of Space - Books and Ephemera

The Prentice-Hall Book About Space Travel / The True Book About Space Travel (1954/1955)

2012-01-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

I will now indulge in space art examination. This is an expanded version of this post from Feb 5, 2009

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/02/prentice-hall-book-about-space-travel.html

William Temple wrote this popular children's "space" book:
http://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/temple_william_f

Basically The True Book About Space Travel was published in 1954 in London and sometime later that year they decided to make an American edition called : The Prentice-Hall Book About Space Travel. It was published in 1955. What I find fascinating is not only how the text was changed to make it more "American" but many of the illustrations were redrawn by Henry Billings. I thought it would interesting (entertaining?) to compare the original art for The True Book about Space Travel Illustrated by Gerald Quinn with the redrawn art by Henry Billings. For similar subjects they took different approaches.

Henry Billings was an American illustrator and artist. His biography info is here: http://collections.terraamericanart.org/view/people/asitem/items$0040null:71/0

Gerald Quinn was a British science fiction illustrator. His biography information (that I could find) is here: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?1161

We will try to keep Prentice-Hall (Henry Billings) on the left and The True Book (Gerald Quinn) on the right.

The text guides what illustrations were used.These were both about early dreams of flight.

Well you get the idea. (The comparison formating in Blogger is a pain). You are in for a few more of these next week.

Sparky the Space Chimp (1967)

2012-01-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

Sparky the Space Chimp was a 1967 Australian book used in school, it was also reprinted in 1975 (below).

As you can see it was intended as "interesting reading" for children practicing their reading skills. The actual era of using chimps for space flight was very short but they persisted in school books. I think this may have been becasue the actual events were moving too fast for a book about the manned programs not to be quickly out of date.

Sparky the Space Chimp. Brisbane, Qld. : Jacaranda. 61 p. 1967. Endeavour Reading Programme No. 5






	The paintings in the book are a nice snapshot of how other countries viewed out space efforts. I have also speculated that "chimps in space" is a realistic surrogate for children. A child could imagine themselves on the same adventure. The painted details are obviously fiction if you have ever seen the actual photographs of the monkey and chimp flights. Nevertheless they were space heroes and it is nice to remember thier adventures.

The Moon Christmas Coloring Book (1970)

2012-01-09T15:40:00.000-08:00

OK I really missed my Christmas post this year but who doesn't send out Christmas cards late once in a while? But it is really never too late for a unique item.

While only a minimal plot, this 1970 coloring book highlights how Santa Claus is recruited to save Chrstmas for the men on the moon.

I like the details in the illustrations, and almost see this as lost storyboards from some late 60s Christmas special.

Of course Santa can't just go to the moon. He needs training first.

I am not sure if the spacesuit is airtight if he can't close his visor over his beard. Maybe that's why we saw few bearded astronauts :)

Chistmas comes to the Moon. Think of the cost per pound for the tree they brought (and you thought you tree was expnsive!)

And the moral is simple, if we can put [anything] on the Moon we can [do anything]

There is very little information about the author except this final page (can it really say: Lord & Taylor?). Good luck finding your own copy.

I hope your holiday were wonderful and the return to work or school hasn't been too bad. Happy 2012!

Space Station for a Fine Young Astronaut (1970)

2012-01-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

This is my attempt to display one of my favorite pop-up books by photographing it. When it is flat it seems just a spiral bound book, but when you open it it becomes a space station! Here is a view of it from the top:

Hallmark Cards. Space Station for A Fine Young Astronaut. New York: Hallmark Cards. (4 p.) 18 x 21 cm. Illustrated Boards.

When the book is opened you see the different rooms of the space station.

That is not a space rock in the station, just a colorful weight I used to hold it still. This is the Decompression-Refueling station.

The book folds out/pops up into a 4 room space station, each section of the station is heavily labeled with all controls and hatches indicated. Rooms include: Decompression-Refueling station, Control-Communications Center, Recreation Station and Life Support Center.

First up is the Control-Communications Center.

Comes with 3 additional punch-out pages: 1 instructions, 1 with space capsule, 1 with astronauts and equipment. There is also 1 page of text on the back cover about space stations and conditions in space.

This is the Life Support Center.

And finally the Recreation Area, with plenty of storage. Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Dreams of Space welcomes Boing Boing readers!

2012-01-04T14:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome Boing Boing readers!
http://boingboing.net/2012/01/04/vintage-space-flight-books-blo.html

I am honored by your clicks and want to provide a rebutal to the "League Of People Who Like To Download Large Images To Their Swipefile (LOPWLTDLITTS, or Lopwiltidlit, for short). "

While some images are small, most will enlarge to a much more satisfying size if you click on them. Try it below:

This looks small but if you click, it is a giant downloadable image!

That is the cool Australian version of this 1956 American board game:

This is part of the ephemera part of my blog. I love all this cool space stuff for kids from the 1950s and 1960s. Especially if it was part of the "future to come". I have had a family illness for the past few months but I am resuming blogging regularly so check back if you can.

Here is the board for the game and the instructions so you can play at home. remember to click on the image.

A Book of Mars for You (1968)

2011-10-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

Just a quick cover today before I miss more "blogging" days. Franklyn Branley wrote many, many children's science books. He often worked with the illustrator Leonard Kessler, whose drawings are wonderfully simple.

Branley, Franklyn M. Illustrated by Kessler, Leonard. A Book of Mars for You. New York: Thomas Y Crowell Co. (56 p.) 21 x 23 cm.

It outlines what is known currently about Mars and our exploration plans. Includes drawings of spacecraft, manned exploration of the Mars surface and reproductions of some of the early photos of Mars. It ends promoting Mars as "space target number two" (after the Moon of course). "A Book of…For You" series book. Also 1975 edition.

Space Travel (1958)

2011-09-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

The words fail me. Here are some cool space art pictures from a "worthless" children's book. Enjoy!

Hutchinson, William M and Spielberg, Dr. Kurt. Illustrated by Hutchinson, William M. Space Travel. New York: Maxton Publishing Co. (28 p.) 27 cm. (1958)

A simple book covering all aspect of space travel including history, physics, U.S. and Russian space efforts, building a space station, manned exploration of the Moon, and exploration of the planets. It has wonderful paintings of all these things devoting a page or two to each topic. "A Maxton Book about" series. See 1960 update and 1963 UK Reprint.

I like the claws on this space suit.

One of my favorite space paintings.

Flight into Cosmic Space (1949)

2011-09-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

This one I do not have a title for. I have had it for about a year and haven't turned up another copy with a translated title so I will go ahead and share it.

My readers save me with this comment:

"While not a children's book, this is in the genre of popular science. The book, whose title is "Flight into Cosmic Space," was written by Ari Shternfeld, a Polish writer who emigrated to the Soviet Union in the 1930s and stayed in the USSR until he passed away in 1980. Shternfeld's earlier book "Introduction to Cosmonautics," published in 1937, was a very famous book that influenced a generation of young Russians. "

My love of space art is well known to my readers, in this case I bought this based on the sample illustrations in the seller's advertisement.

The first thing that caught my eye was this very different version of a rocket ship. It is almost Art Deco in appearance. It also reminds me of Russian domed architecture.

You can see from this diagram why it looks so strange. It was intended to be constructed in orbit and then separate and spin to provide gravity for the residents during their travels.

Here is an illustration of a more traditional space station that this unique ship would depart from. You can see a more traditional rocket leaving the station.

One of the reasons I like space art is trying to find the line that divides it from science fiction. These illustrations are science-based to show the possibility, but they are as quaint as da Vinci's helicopter to our modern eyes. I am still a reader of Popular Science magazine and wonder which of their images show a true future but with the same "wrongness" of how it will really look.

This is what rockets were going to look like from 1949, what will manned travel to other planets look like from 2011?

3D (or lenticular) Space Postcards (1960s)

2011-09-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately something that I collect that does not scan very well are lenticular postcards.

I remember these from my childhood and have been picking them up slowly over the last couple of years. They are a unique form of space art and show an interesting creativity. Most were made from 3D models that were photographed. So the artist had to come up with models, a pose, and a background that would make the right effect.

This space station is one of my favorites for it's excellent 3D effect. I also have a few larger lenticular items, usually these are the same images as the postcards only larger.

The postcards I collect fall mostly around the landing on the Moon. The anticipation of what it might look like and especially what a U.S. flag would look like on the moon created a number of postcards.

Some of these are made with GI Joes (or action Man) while others are the Gemini astronaut model.

I also like trying to date the postcards by which model of the Lunar Lander they chose.

I like to think of these as postcards from a future that had not happened yet. I will leave you with one more postcard from a future that was predicted in 1968 and still hasn't happened:

Tomorrow the Moon (1959)

2011-09-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful early space book based on the 1955 Disneyland episode "Man and the Moon" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_the_Moon)

What most people don't realize is that within this book is a series of detailed paintings of the construction of a space station that were not seen in the episode.

So here is Wernher von Braun's detailed plans (as interpreted by Disney artists) for how to construct a space station:

Unpacking the components---

Inflating the core---

More pieces- see how they are marked?

Assembly and carrying in place---

You can now see the shape of the station forming---

Finishing work---

Attaching the propellant to "spin" it up---

Applying protective armor over the inflated portions---

And you have one beautiful completed space station. Some of these paintings are reproduced small in the book but the sequence is fantastic in showing how it could be done.

Hammond's Guide to the Exploration of Space (1958)

2011-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

One of the great space posters of the late 1950's was the 1958 Hammond Space Map. Produced by the Hammond Map Company it has gorgeous paintings of space vehicles.

Because the map is 29" x 42" inches it is hard to scan but I have been lucky enough to acquire a very nice copy as a part of this "Hammond's Space Kit" set:

The folded map looks like this (which may be the way most of you have seen it):

This map is almost a book within itself. The entire backside of the map is covered in text explaining the images on the front. Here is one shorter example of the text. The real treat however are the illustrations.

Any one of these mini-paintings would make a great screensaver (remember to click on the image to enlarge it). Here are the satellites:

Here you see the solar powered satellite circle the Earth.

The details and labeling make each image a fascinating combination of engineering design and romantic illustration.

And our favorites: the Space Taxi, Space Station, and Moon Base

I can't forget the rockets and astronauts can I?

All in all this map in a real treat that I am glad to get to share. These illustrations were reused by Hammond in other publications including this one that I blogged about here:

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/05/space-mans-new-frontier-1962.html

Here is one last one to leave you with, The Interplanetary Ship Central Control. Be sure to read all of the labels since I am not exactly sure what a "Uloranoben" is supposed to do. Please comment if you have any idea.

Rockets & Space Ships (1953)

2011-08-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Rockets and Spaceships was one of the first English children's "space" books I found. It has unique painted color illustrations that look very different from the Bonestellian ones I was used to in American books.

Hollinson, Harry. Illustrated by Butler, Leslie and Bayly, Cecil. Rockets and Space Ships. London : Perry Colour Books Ltd. (44 p.) 19 cm. "Do You Know" series. 1953

In my continued collecting I found it seems to be one of the earliest British children's books solely on spaceflight. The text focuses on the history of spaceflight, rocket theory, and first steps to the Moon.

The book was reprinted so here is the original and the more generic looking reprint side by side:

It has 20 color paintings of rockets, space stations, space suits and man landing on the Moon. Images of rockets are "non-Bonestellian" and almost romantic in style.

I really like the illustrations in this book, especially this one:

I have never seen another illustration of a bicycle in space. Being a bike commuter, I have thought of making this one into a t-shirt. I also appreciate a different take on the round space station.

This book gives a friendlier version of what life in space would be like. The rounded illustration style seems gentler than the usually angular engineering illustrations.

A lovely small book well worth hunting down.

Eagle Book of How It Works (1962)

2011-08-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Eagle was one of the big publishers of non-fiction for children in England because of their weekly magazine. They repurposed contents of the magazine into a number of books. This one is an anthology of articles collected for young people.

Eagle book of how it works. London, Longacre Press, 192 p. illus., 27 cm. 1962

Most of the illustrations are familiar but it still has a variety of space vehicles to explore.

I do like the idea of using my "jet pack" to leap over such a small car. Sort of like having "rocket boots."

Delta wings rule!

I also enjoy the British slant on spaceflight with this illustration of the Ariel satellite, "designed by in Britain and launched by the Americans."

Solar sails are cool too!

An early Project Apollo design. And now my favorite picture from the book, not necessarily space-related but still very "space age".

The Hippo Book of Rockets and Missiles (1962)

2011-08-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

This was #8 in the Hippo series of books about all sorts of topics. The Hippo books were all , only 10 x 13 cm. but this one had 127 pages so it is a weighty little monster.

Taylor, John W.R. Rockets and Missiles. Feltham, England : Odhams. (127 p.) 10 x 13 cm.

"Hippo Books" series (#8). Also 1968, 1971 editions.

It has a relatively simple format with photographs of each type of rocket or missile alternating with descriptions. It was a "train-spotting" sort of book (if I am using the term correctly), that allowed the child to see all the varieties of vehicles that were out there. This was a common format for getting a space book published. They would use aerospace press release photographs and text and show what was current. Like the airplane books of earlier years there was little discussion of the vehicles beyond dimensions and performance characteristics.

As I said I have a number of these types of books but without much "space art" I am just getting around to scanning them now.

Space Satellites (1958)

2011-08-08T15:57:00.000-07:00

Mechanics Illustrated had a series of "special issues" which they sold at the newsstands. Space Satellites was one of those fine publications.

These were fun because of how they reused both "factual" illustrations as well as some of the more imaginative ones that were in circulation.

This one in particular, which graced the backcover, shows how Mechanix Illustrated took their mission seriously. They wanted their readers to feel technologically savvy and know how to "Keep ahead of the times".

This one reused a newspaper illustration show ESVs (Earth Satellite Vehicles) might appear in the future.

They had a mixture of articles from different sources on space topics. Some were repritns from the magazine while others were written specificially for this publication.This illustration shows how "Project Big Brother" would work by keeping watch over us all.

I love how these timetables appear in the popular space literature. Things were changing so rapidly that no one was really sure how fast change might take place. I especially like the "Editior's note" which explains that almost anything might happen that would change these predictions including "technological breakthroughs or war."

Finally some cool Fred Freeman illustrations that are reused from a McCall's article. Fred Freeman was one of the illustratior in the Collier's "Man will conquer space soon!" series and his paintings and drawings are worth seeking out.

I hope my blogging is back on line now. My brother George has been undergoing a bone marrow transplant and I had other things than space on my mind, but he seems to be doing well.

"NO POST JULY"

2011-07-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sorry to have fallen off of the face of the Earth....

I have had a number of work and personal issues that have kept me from getting to my blog. I will resume in August so hang in there and I will return.

Picture Book of Astronomy (1945)

2011-06-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Picture Book of Astronomy lurks on that line between space travel being fiction and space travel being a real possibility. This wonderful children's book has a style that suggests more than basic astronomic facts are being presented. It is only a 36 page book and obviously intended for parents to purchase for their children. As World War 2 finished there was a perceived need to have more new books specifically aimed at children.

Meyer, Jerome S. Illustrated by Floethe, Richard. Picture Book of Astronomy. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard. (36 p.) 29 cm. 1945

I like the imagery in the book of children going out into space. Under the dust jacket of the book is this imaginary space ship illustration embossed on the actual cover:

The text discusses gravity, the Earth's rotation, and conditions on the Moon and the planets. Wonderful illustrations include those of a rocket launch, children floating inside the spacecraft looking at the Earth, children exploring the Moon, and children visiting Mars (with vegetation). One of the earliest non-fiction children's books I have found showing a rocket flight to the Moon. Also reprinted in the late 1950s (undated).

I have found very few children's books before this time that showed children floating weightlessly or view the Earth from space.

My favorite illustration is the actual landing on the Moon. While this seems familiar to science fiction readers it is being presented to children as a imaginative possibility.

I do agree that the space helmet and hiking shorts wardrobe is a little unusual but it also seems to communication that this is not a dream or fantasy but rather real children hiking and looking up at the earth in sky.

A dream of rockets flying above our cities on their way to the Moon.

Grishka and the Astronaut (1970/1981)

2011-06-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Grishka and the Astronaut was a 1970 fictional Russian story about how when a boy speaks to an astronaut for advice he is told to visit the Moon. The translation was done in 1981 as part of that flourish of children's books from Russia in the early 1980s that I have mentioned.

A. Mityayev ; drawings by Yuri Molokanov ; translated from the Russian by Ronald Vroon. Translation of: Kosmonavt i Grishka.(1970). Moscow : Progress ; [London] : distributed by Central, 1981 [20 p.] : 28 cm.

The illustrations by Yuri Molokanov are especially charming. I picked out some of my favorite rocket related ones to share with you today.

Talking with the astronaut (shouldn't that be cosmonaut?) at his house. I especially like the decorations and models the astronaut has at his house.

A very nice and understated picture of a rocket launch. The text describes how as the rocket launched leaves fell from the trees and the birds scattered.

Flying through space to the Moon.

The joys of leaping on the Moon.

Even better than leaping on the Moon is the ability to lift huge boulders because of the lowered gravity. I wonder if the Apollo astronauts ever tried anything similar or was it too dangerous/silly?

Landing on an asteroid and having to be rescued by a friend he found.

And maybe my favorite illustration: playing volleyball with boulders on the Moon. Outside of the dangers of breaking your helmet this seem almost cooler than baseball on the Moon. Dreams of space included playing games with your friends in new places.

Journey Into Space (1959)

2011-06-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

Journey Into Space was a classroom pamphlet. In the boom of books about space came a lack of classroom materials to teach children. Pamphlets filled in this hole by giving an inexpensive way to purchase multiple copies of "interesting" reading.

Vessel, Mathew F. and Wong, Herbert H. Journey Into Space San Francisco: Fearon Publishers. (14 p.) 22 cm. 1959. Part of the "Fearon Science education" series

While not very inspiring text it captures that moment when even the teachers were convinced that they were teaching knowledge that would be desperately needed by the late 1960s.

This chart at the back shows how it was expected that the book would be out of date by the time it was printed so the reader would needed to add the latest achievements.

Also this pamphlet has a logo that is near and dear to my heart. In fact I almost used it as the image for this blog.

The answer to that question of course is use them all!

Whopper Space Stories (1955)

2011-06-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

This was a Children's Annual with stories, games, and cartoon strips. It had a couple of striking illustrations.

Boyd, Edward and Allward, Maurice. Illustrated by North, T E, Branton, R.A. and Gaffron, Bruce. Whopper Space Stories. London : Children's Press. (62 p.) 26 cm. Softcover. 1955

IA softcover reduced version of “The Giant Book of Amazing Stories" 1952. Still includes the articles by Maurice Allward with a comic strip and several fictional space stories. Has the same cover and illustrations (for the included articles) but no color plates.

The cover show the varieties of thought about what a space station would eventually look like. I would love to watch that "von Braun/Bonestell" ship dock from the railing of my space hotel. It was painted by T.E. North (Thomas Edward). He did a number of children's books and covers as described here: http://bearalley.blogspot.com/2009/08/t-e-north.html

While very primitive in some ways I like the feeling of "brave explorer" that this illustration gives.

See the 1952 book at: http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/06/giant-book-of-amazing-stories-1955.html

I also like this very classic rocket illustration with the windows on the front of the rocket. You can see how rocket design really missed the boat when they stopped emulating the latest streamlined cars. Now that the old fleet is being retired "Shuttle Prius" anyone?

B KOCMOC/ Into Space (1978)

2011-06-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

A little out of my defined 1945-1975 time period but too good not to share. This pop-up book was part of the burst in Russian children's publishing in 1978. Or at least that what it seems like to me. I find a number of 1978-1983 Russian titles for children and a number were translated into English.

Since it is very hard to use a scanner to show pop-up books (my preferred tool) I had to wait until I could get someone to take photographs of this book. Even the back of the book is beautiful:

There are a couple of American pop-up books about space, the most famous being about the Apollo 11 landing. I will have to try and take some photographs for you.

The feeling I get when looking at Russian books is like that of looking into a distorted mirror. The overall images are familiar but the details are just a little different.

The walk in space and seeing the Earth from orbit....

The return to Earth (on land!).....................

Docking in space....

Exploring the Moon....

Our brave new future in space.....

Wonders of Space Travel (1954)

2011-05-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

A re-run again. I mentioned this one briefly about a year ago but thought I would share some more scans with you.
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/03/scientific-wonders-1953-wonders-of.html

These were booklets that were enclosed as extras in Lion magazine. This 1954 one reused a lot of the Bonestell and Freeman illustrations from the Collier's magazine series.

Some were re-paintings of famous images.

A lot of very beautiful art for such a small booklet. It even had this great color "center-fold".

I apologize for the lack of posts. there have been a lot less new items in my collection and I haven't had time to do more scans of some of the older ones. Maybe summer will re-inspire me. Here are a couple more pages:

Really beautiful images even if re-printed from another source.

Scholastic NewsTime January 18 (1968)

2011-05-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Scholastic Books had several newsmagazines for children. For the younger ones it was My Weekly Reader and for the older ones it was NewsTime. It was longer articles, stories, and features. This issue had a couple of items of interest to me. The first is the cover about trying to solve our trash situation. They suggest that launching it into space might be an option but suggest that the Moon is now off-limits since we were headed there soon.

The second is this very interesting opinion article about whether we should go to the Moon or not. It shows how the glow of the space race was beginning to wear off as critics were sharing that the money could be better spent other ways. The race to the Moon was taking too long for some people and alternative views were being shared even with the school children.

The last article is almost an rebuttal to the previous debate. It shows a very nice illustration of our Moon Base. It is actually the next page in the magazine after the space debate. It suggests that our landing on the Moon was inevitable and there were some who thought we should have accomplished it sooner. It amazes me that my memories of school and space flight were shown in these magazines. In 1963 we were in love with space and by 1971 we were bored with it.

Rockets Through Space (1957)

2011-05-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

I realized I have never blogged about this book. It is a treasure of space art with some beautiful color paintings.

Del Rey, Lester. Illustrated by Heugh, James. Rockets Through Space: The Story of Man's Preparations to Explore the Universe. New York: John C. Winston Co. (118 p.) 26 cm. (1957)

The book covers all aspects of space travel starting with the theory of rockets and the first planned satellites. It goes on to describe conditions in space, plans for space stations, missions to the Moon, and exploration of the planets.

The paintings by James Heugh are wonderful, a last goodbye to the romantic images of spaceflight illustration. Realism in depicting spaceflight starts to take over from here.

There are lots of copies around including a 1958 reprint (post-sputnik text) and a 1960 updated edition.

The paintings are very beautiful. When I had first put illustrations from this book on my Dreams of Space website (http://dreamsofspace.nfshost.com/) back in the 1990s, there was not as much space art content on the web. The son of the illustrator James Heugh communicated with me about his father's work in 1994. He said:

"...while searching for relatives I discovered your site and a painting I know

well. Dad is a healthy eighty-something who sculpts, gardens and plays
tennis in Pinehurst North Carolina. I was probably 8 or 9 when that book
Rockets Through Space occupied Dad's loving attention. He worked late
regularly, in a room just at the top of the stairs from my bedroom - in
a beautiful old stone Pennsylvania country farmhouse that I will miss
forever. I watched Dad work like no-one else, I suspect. Looking at his
work tonight (this morning) all these years later brought a flood of
tears.

Although he never earned much money for the effort I believe his space

paintings were among those that contain the essence of his pride at the
peak of his power. You really should see the work full size, without the
muddling of the printing process. His meticulous scratchboards (black and
white - ink on white clay board, scratched through for thin white lines) are gorgeous."

He goes on to share:

"After his 80th birthday, when I gave him a copy of his long lost Rockets

Through Space, he expressed some embarrassment about the now obvious inaccuracy of his imagination: specifically he pointed out that the "starship" (the sphere) couldn't contain enough fuel to have such a huge
flame, nor would it need it. And the skin-tight space suits were all wrong
(although in that case he was following one of the possible solutions as
explained in the text - pressure from the suit's structural "fabric" rather
than a self contained atmosphere.) "

James Heugh did almost no other space art and this was his only full length work. I really enjoy finding these treasures and hope you will seek this one out.

The Space Book (1962)

2011-05-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

The Space Book is yet another obscure title. I have never seen another and find it memorable for its cover.

Longo, Angelo and Barry, Catharine. Illustrated by Longo, Angelo. The Space Book. New York: Paxton-Slade Publishing Co. (44 p.) 29 cm. (1962)

It is a very basic text about astronomy, rockets and the manned exploration of space. Simple illustrations include planetary surfaces, spacesuits, various launch vehicles and spaceships of the future. It is part of the "Paxton-Slade Picture-Story Books" series.

Tommy and His Space Ship (1953)

2011-05-03T14:13:00.000-07:00

Another beautiful image of children exploring space. While I don't collect other coloring books, those with space images seem to evoke more than simple entertainment.

This particular image could be the source of dissertations for its naive imperialism. There is no doubt that a child would be left with a aspiration to see Americans to the Moon first.

What Colonel Glenn Did All Day (1962)

2011-04-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

This is another of the non-fiction covers that I really like.

Hill, Robert W. What Colonel Glenn Did All Day. New York: The John Day Co. (64 p.) 26 cm. (1962)

This is a photographic scrapbook of John Glenn's flight. Each photo is captioned and linked with 1 page intervening "chapters".

Space, Time and Rockets (1952) part 2

2011-04-28T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is another "cheap" post. when I first bloggged about this book in December 2009 I did not have any interior scans. So here are some to update this post:

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/12/space-time-and-rockets-1952.html

Randolf, Rheta and Barry, Catherine. Illustrated by Stain, Jacque. Space, Time and Rockets. New York: Paxton-Slade Publishing Co. (64 p.) 28 cm. Softcover. (1952)
The book discusses the history of rockets, travel in space, planetary astronomy, and major constellations. Also reprinted at a 20 cm. size. See also: Barry. "A Trip through Space" (1954) from the same series.

This was an activity book with scattered non-fiction articles.

The illustrations were very simple but I find this "early" space literature facinating.

The images are cut off because the spine on this book was damaged and very stiff. I did not want to "crack" the spine completely so we have only partial images of the pages of interest.

Since I mentioned the Hayden Planetarium in a previous post about its place in the early space flight movement, I find this page to sum up its reputation very nicely.

Famous Pioneers in Space (1963)

2011-04-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

April has been a very long month and with just a few days left to post I need to up my average. So I will do a couple more book cover postings. These are books where there is not much space art but the covers are evocative of the times.

Famous Pioneers in Space is part of the many books about America's new space program. Children were encouraged to learn the biographies of these new heroes.

Newlon, Clarke. Famous Pioneers in Space. New York: Dodd, Mead and Co. (127 p.) 22 cm. (1963)

Instead of illustrations it has B&W photographs in an 8 page center insert. It consists of short biographies of 8 pioneers in the history of space flight. Biographies include Robert Goddard, K Tsiolkovskiy, and James Van Allen. Ends with 2 chapters of capsule biographies of the current Soviet cosmonauts and US astronauts.

The Boys' Book of Rockets (1950)

2011-04-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

April is turning out to be a very busy month with almost no time to post. Here is a 1950 edition of this 1947 book that I already blogged about.

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/search/label/1947

Almost no difference in content but a much nicer cover.

In Space, Yuri Gagarin (1961)

2011-04-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Twas the Day before Yuri's Night and all through the blog,

We remember the human follower of Laika the dog

For children of the world recorded his feat
By pasting and gluing bits of magazines so neat

One child in his scrapbook had the article from USSR
That told of this man who traveled so far

A soviet man in space, a traveler around the Earth
For 108 minutes he circled it's girth

It was fifty long years ago that Yuri circled this place
How many children now remember his face?

It was a feat of some courage (and politics too)
To show the whole world what Russians could do

Yet twas something more, a foot in the door
If one man could go why not lots more?

Yuri's view from up there, showed us all a new place
And without that first trip would we have had Dreams of Space?

Exploring and Understanding Rockets and Satellites (1967)

2011-03-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have written numerous times about my happy memories of studying space in school. As I have collected old school materials this book has turned out to be my favorite. I don't exactly remember seeing this book as a child but as an adult this one has the best stuff in it.

The table of contents show how facinating the words were. But it also had some great illustrations.

The paintings and illustrations have that inspirational quality that I love in this state-produced material. A rocket lifts off on the title page.

While not a painting I also found the standard rocket line-up to be beautiful and inspiring.

A very nice illustration of the trip to the Moon.

A couple of great space station illustrations. Space stations of this type were phased out in most educational materials after 1967.

Finally here is a great illustration of a control room.

The line forms here for trip to Moon (1952)

2011-03-29T09:47:00.000-07:00

This is a piece of ephemera from Popular Science August 1952 that connects to one of my favorite 1950s Children's books (I know they all seem to be my favorites): Rocket Away (1953). I blogged about this book on August 12, 2009.

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/08/rocket-away-1953.html

If you had to pick a center of "space culture" and thought in the early 1950s I am not sure that the Hayden Planetarium at New York's American Museum of Natural History would be the first place to come to mind. However they had a number of exhibitions and planetarium talks that kept the possibility of manned space flight in the public eye. They also hosted in 1951 one of the first space conferences. It was their 1952 conference at the Hayden that led to the publication of the Collier's articles.

But one of their best early publicity efforts was their reservations for the first space trips. This application was available at the Planetarium, in numerous articles like this one from Popular Science and in Rocket Away. By this 1952 article over 24,000 people had signed up for a space flight. In fact Rocket Away was basically a non-fiction book about their exhibits and planetarium show. This illustration from Rocket Away was showing one of the models they had in their lobby.

The Popular Science article showed some of the other exhibits that helped excite children about space flight.

Museum and Planetariums have functioned as free universities where the public could interact with scientific ideas and as someone said "seeing is believing". This particular exhibit and the bookstore that accompanied it got space flight books into the hands of thousands of children. How many of them upon seeing this poster thought they would do that someday?

New Reader's Digest Treasury for Young Readers (1963)

2011-03-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

As usual I find space art hidden in the oddest places. During the early 1960s space flight was all about our American heroes. While Scott Carpenter was the first astronaut it was John Glenn who was our first "space hero." Reader's Digest created this anthology of articles for children to read including this article about John Glenn.

Reader's Digest New Treasury for Young Readers. Pleasantville, New York: The Reader's Digest Association. 200 p. 28.5 cm. 1963.

Because he had orbited the Earth, the map his passage over the planet was almost always part of the description of his deeds.

This particular one is very beautiful as John Glenn's ship achieves separation.

Of course part of the story that was really only told after it was all over was how the separation of the rocket pack was not indicated correctly on John Glenn's control panel. He had to guess if his heat shield had been exposed correctly and had to start his re-entry not knowing if he would be protected or not.

Luckily he returned home safely.

Adventure Bound (1956)

2011-03-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

Adventure Bound is a 1956 school reader. Particularly of note in it in is the awesome cover shot of the X-1A. One of those spaceships that really looks like a spaceship and most of the shots I have seen of it were in black and white.

Arno Joseph Jewett; Marion Edman; Paul McKee. Adventure bound. Boston : Houghton Mifflin, x, 598 p. ; 25 cm.Reading for enjoyment no. 7. 1956

Inside is one great rocket illustration for the story "Rocket to the Moon" (A reprinted story from "Open Road" magazine.)

This article about life on other planets is also an interesting inclusion in a school textbook.

The article included this beautiful Chesley Bonestell painting. If you haven't discovered Chesley Bonestell's work yet and you are reading this blog you need to go and "google" his name right now.

The best advice there is.

My Weekly Reader (1960-1966)

2011-03-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I am addicted to Google Analytics. I have such an obscure hobby that it is very gratifying to see that I am reaching people all around the world. What is even more fun is that the number of peole finding "Dreams of Space" per month is now averaging close to 1000 people. One of the postings that seems to attract lots of random Google searches is this one about "My Weekly Reader 1957-1958" from February 2009 so I thought I would do another about the 1960s.
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/02/my-weekly-reader-1957-1958.html

My Weekly Reader was a weekly newspaper distributed in school. It had basic readings about the news and questions we would have to answer. There was even a way for students to subscribe to a summer version so you would get your weekly news fix.

For elementary students this was a welcome break from school readers. The stories were interesting and fed our hunger for current events.

As the space age evolved this was my source of what was going to happen next in our space program. Sure I could look at magazines or try to watch the news (boring!) but this gave us something to talk about at recess.

Everyone's childhood seems endless so to find these fragile milestones of my past is a lot of fun.

And of course the best part of My Weekly Reader was that you got to take it home, so I have been luckily enough to rediscovery some child's stash that survived these 50+ (!) years

Quaker "Space Flight to the Moon" (1953)

2011-03-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite early set of space flight images are those from the back of some cereal boxes. In 1953 Quaker Oats featured "Space Flight to the Moon" on the back of Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat Cereal.

These were three dimensional images you could cut out and assemble for your own space dioramas. While I do not have all 8 parts I would like to show off images of the series that I have found or I own. Note all description include an exclamation point!

Number one was the "Space Port!"

Number two was "Rocket Ship...Away!"

Number three was "Stopover at Space Island!"

Numbers four was "Passing Space Liner!"

Number five was "Wing Repair in Outer Space!"

Number six was "Target -- Moon!" and number seven was "Landing on Moon!"

Number eight was "Exploring the Moon!" As a long-time reader of the backs of cereal boxes as I ate breakfast, I can only image how these pictures sparked imaginations.

About Moon and About Rocket (1964)

2011-03-08T14:43:00.000-08:00

My translator is not around so I don't have a title for this one. (UPDATE one of my readers suggests the title is "About Moon and about Rocket")

However that is not an excuse for not showing you some cool pictures.

Russian space art is different somehow. Beyond being less realistic they somehow transmit the glory of space flight better. It is a romantic adventure to go into the sky and discover new things. so allow me to but my romantic interpretations on these illustrations.

Like this example which speaks without text how amazing it is that something so heavy couold be launched into space.

Again while not realistic I feel how far these explorers are from earth and how each rock they find is different from anything found before.

How big would a space station be? As big as launching a skyscraper up into the sky. To build something that big to endlessly orbit the earth is a wonderful thing. Certainly something we have yet to have the will to try.

If people ever live on the Moon they will find it a cold place that will have to be "tamed" to allow us to live there.

But someday we will have the will to try.

Your Science World (1955)

2011-03-04T13:13:00.000-08:00

Your Science World is a 1955 school textbook. It is one of many that were found in the schools post-WWII. In most of these books science was part of the curriculum but the focus varied between the science of rockets rather than the future of spaceflight.

However the rockets and space stations found in these books varied between the realistic and the theoretical.

What I especially like is this illustration of the space station on the blackboard. It gives me the idea that the children are encouraged to have knowledge that their parents didn't. Teaching them to master the possible future they would grow up in.

Adventures in Space (1960)

2011-03-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Adventures in Space! It is a 1960 coloring book where you color by number. I think it was reprinted multiple times so it may not even be 1960. The images are memorable for their homey spin on space flight. On the cover I an enchanted with the little girl's pink space suit and her doll's matching suit.

The text tell the story of a voyage to space.

First they visit a nice generic space station

And then onto the conquest of the Moon! Not a very significant book but full of images that make space flight friendly and familiar.

All About Satellites and Space Ships (1958)

2011-02-28T12:16:00.000-08:00

A last "goodie" for February. The book is fun but I have a cool piece of ephemera that goes with it.

Here is yet another of the very common space books from the 1950s. There are tons of copies and it must have been in most school libraries. The "AllAbout" series had a number of titles and one of the things about them that sticks in my memories are that under the covers (which were usually gone by the time they made it to the library) they had distinctive hardcover markings. In fact most of you may know this book from this appearance rather than the cover.

Dietz, David. Illustrated by Wilde, George. All About Satellites and Space Ships. New York: Random House. (164 p.) 24 cm. Cloth, DJ. (1958) Allabout Book #28. Also a 1962 edition.

The text covers the 1st two Sputnik launches, the planned X-15 tests, space stations, rocket theory, planned Moon landings and atomic powered space craft.

The vehicles are interesting because they show another set of ideas about what the first craft landing on the Moon would be.

The ephemera part of this post is that I own the printing plates for the title page and the endplate. Since this was reprinted so many times it may be one of several that exist. However as a collector of children's books this is a great artifact of an important book. Here is the close-ups of the cover plate:

Also across from the cover page is this image:

And finally this is the image of the endpapers. It is a little hard to see on the plate so I enhanced and false-colored it so you could see the image. If the image looks familiar it is a different version of the one I use behind the title of my blog.

I admit these are not quite the original art or the manuscript but they made me happy.

"U.S. Space Hardware-- Today and Tomorrow" (1963)

2011-02-22T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is a follow-up of sorts to one of my most popular posts of 2010:

The "Space Age 1959" poster: http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/05/space-age-1959.html

The full poster artwork was re-used in this 1963 article:

Dickenson, Fred. "U.S. Space Hardware ---Today and Tomorrow". New York Mirror Magazine, April 28, 1963 pp 9-10.

Since so many people enjoyed the poster this gave me a chance to have a slightly better scan of the art for you since the poster itself won't fit on my scanner :)

The article is interesting in how it justfies some of the vehicles depicted as a true reflection of possible future spaceflight. It also goes on to add some of the current spaceflight gadgets and ships that were being worked at the time.

So here is the higher quality scan (not quite the whole thing) but good enough to use as a background.

The Mars Rocket (Die Marsrakete) (1956)

2011-02-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

This one is not a book but does have some very nice space art in it.
Die Marsrakete (1956). Instead it is one of the many children's story records that were issued in the 1950s and 1960s. Record players moved from the living room to the playroom in the 1950s and children had a vast number of records intended just for them.

Once again I do not read German but can get a sense of the storyline from the illustrations. First of course are children given the opportunity to ride on a rocket. In some stories they sneak on and in others a friendly scientist "uncle" invites them on a trip.

From the expression on the rocket professor's face it looks like he was not planning to launch these boys to Mars. I will guess they snuck aboard or were accidently launched.

Luckily (this was the early space age) something went wrong and instead of going to Mars the rocket capsule came down in the Middle East. I might not have called this "Mars Rocket" but rather "an unexpected rocket trip". But even with false advertising the images are very beautiful.

3-D Spacescapes (1964)

2011-02-15T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is a spectacular book of punch-outs of the surfaces of other planets. It takes the space art and makes it 3-D. Because the book itself is 15" x 10" some of the images are harder to share. Also since I did not want to assemble this beauty you can only get part of the effect. What blows me away about this book is the impressionistic approach to showing the surface of these other planets.

As you see each page is huge with lots of images so I scanned part of the page so you can see some of the spaceflight vehicles and plans.

It is part of the Hammond "Construct-o-kit" books. Hammond was a map and atlas company that as their part of the space age created a number of spaceflight images as to be used in introductions to atlases and as maps.
Construct-o-kit 3-D spacescapes. By Sonya Rubin Fish. C. S. Hammond, Inc. 1965-02-18 (in notice: 1964)

Other uses of the Hammond images are found in these blog posts:

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-holidays-from-my-room.html (the poster in the background)

http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/05/space-mans-new-frontier-1962.html

Some of my favorite images include these of a moonbase and a lunar lander.

There is almost no text in this book except this information page. Like other punch-out books this one encourages a child to imagine what the future might bring.

Station "Moon" (Stantsiia "Luna") (1974)

2011-02-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

This is an updated version of this 1965 Russian book:
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2009/06/station-moon-stantsiia-luna-1965.html

I blogged about that one more than 18 months ago so you may not have seen the post. What I would like to do is reuse some of the illustrations from that older book to compare and contrast how they chose to update them. Since I don't read Russian I can't really comment on the text.

This is the 1965 version of what planning for the moon base would look like. This picture was recently on "Project Sword" so I thought I would show more of these images.

I like seeing the new vehicles they chose to include. Notice the Apollo "moon buggy" in the front? It also has a different style, less cartoony and more like an accurate illustration. Also for some reason there is no observatory in the 1974 illustration.

Here is the 1965 version of the complete base. For some reason the book assumes that there will eventually be an atmosphere on the Moon. Otherwise I am not sure how to explain the helicopter. I also like how they have preserved an original mountain under glass as a conservation effort.

The 1974 version again tries for a more realistic style. There is still that unexplainable helicopter but the terrain has been less altered. There are less outside plantings (although cactus still seems popular).

These illustrations from the 1974 book definitely show the impact of 9 years of space exploration. In fact they seem a little dull even if they are more familiar to us now.

Space Flight : The Coming Exploration of the Universe (1959)

2011-02-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

Here is a book that most of you have seen I would bet. It is one of the commonest to find in used bookstores, etc. This is the original binding, it was also reprinted endlessly. The first was in 1959 with glossy board covers (24 cm.) and then again in 1961 as a "revised" edition with little or no changes in the text or illustrations.

Del Rey, Lester. Illustrated by Polgreen, John. Space Flight: The Coming Exploration of the Universe. New York: Golden Press. (56 p.) 21 cm. (1959)

The reason why this is so well remembered are the paintings by John Polgreen. There had been a "space quartet" of books published in 1957-1958 known as the "Adventure in Space" series. I blogged about the first of these books last fall:
http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/09/man-made-satellites-1957.html

"Space Flight" worked as a synopsis of these books reusing some of the best paintings.

In the true 1st edition there is an interesting error. The first sentence is incorrect stating “The space age began on October 4, 1958…” A loose errata card was slipped into the 1st editions with the correct 1st sentence.

This space suit is especially memorable with its claw-like hands and feet. As space suits were developed there were doubts whether the pressure in a suit would allow a person to flex individual fingers or ankles. So one idea was providing these claws for gripping.

The other solution was miniature space ships that would allow a longer time in space. Don't they remind you of the "pods" from 2001?

A classic book, that is inexpensive and easy to find if you are looking for a few books to start a collection. Each painting is a space art jewel.

First Vacation on the Moon / Premieres Vacances Sur La Lune (1967)

2011-02-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

OK as promised your "First Vacation on the Moon". This is a very interesting French book that seems to have been published using photographs from a space flight movie of the time. I will welcome any corrections to my guesses since my French is very poor.

Heimer, Marc. Premières Vacances Sur La Lune. Paris: Presses de la Cité, #2 p., 32 cm. 1967

What makes it especially interesting to me is the photographs of a child visiting the Moon. This is very much like "You Will Go to the Moon (1959) but with photographs of the Moon.

The other topic of interest is the Moonbase they visit. This is probably just the design from the film but it gives the book the sense of it being a visit to a real place.

I have not been able to find out very much about the book but did find this quote:

"In 1967, Mark Heimer, inspired by images from the film "Luna" the Lennaoutchfilm, imagine the holidays out of the ordinary for a small boy in the "First Holiday on the Moon" "

I have tried to find out more about "Luna". It may be the 1965 Russian film that was released in Europe as "La Lune"

Having never seen the film I really like the models and details they used for the moonbase.

As a collector I get kind of blasé about having found all the books out there. I have dabbled in finding original books from other countries but having poor language skills has limited me to tripping across them. This one is an astrofuturism classic.

I also like some of the details shown like the hydroponics room:

There is also what looks like a monorail and an electromagnetic launching system for return to orbit:

This book is a visual treat. It even has the classic image of how when you walk on the Moon gravity lets you do some fun tricks.

It happily crosses that line between what is fantasy and what might be reality one day.

Dreams of Space after 2 Years!

2011-02-02T10:29:00.000-08:00

It hardly seems like another year but thanks to my loyal viewers "Dreams of Space --Books and Ephemera" blog celebrates its second year on February 2.

When I started it really was a way for me to do something else with my collection. By profession I am a librarian and feel compelled to share things. Thank you for being my audience as my not-so-detailed text accompanied some of my favorite images of spaceflight.

The blog has given me an excuse to buy a few more things as well as a place to have a conversation about some of the cool books we remember.

I especially thank some of my friends in Europe who have shared their knowledge and comments as I stumble across items you are all much more familiar with. I appreciate people sharing their knowledge and encouraging me that there are more than a few of us "nutters" out there dreaming of space.

I will keep sharing items since I still keep finding more I want to share. Each object has a story and I thank you for giving me the chance to tell the story. And next up is your "First Vacation on the Moon" a book I am sure most of you have never seen. Bonjour!

The Man from Space (1955)

2011-01-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing to do with space flight just an old cool cover. Get ready for your "First Vacation on the Moon".

What's on the Moon? (1965)

2011-01-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

Reader's Digest may not be the first place you go to find children's books about space flight but I found one. In the 1960s there was a hunger for materials for the classroom. Reader's Digest evidently had a series of reprinted articles that they made available for classroom use. Although the cover is alluring, most of the articles inside were not about space. The cover on this is very Bonestellian. The space article reprinted is a 1963 article:

Maisel, Albert Q. "The Fantastic Hazards of Landing on the Moon" Reader's Digest Sept 1963.

On the inside is also a nice painting of men exploring the Moon.

Between "mountain climbing" and the huge cracks in the surface it looks like their Moon was a lot more exciting than "our" Moon. The adventure of going to the Moon. Of course because this was intended for schools there had to be a quiz on the material at the end of the "interesting" reading. Test your space knowledge (and knowledge of word endings)!

P.S. Are you getting ready for your “First Vacation on the Moon?

Wonders of Space Stamps (1954)

2011-01-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

These "Golden Books" were everywhere and there were stamps for all sorts of subjects. This is the earliest of the space related stamps books. Each stamp is a little jewel of space art.

Bernhard, Hubert. Illustrated by Solonewitsch, George and Discount, William. Wonders of Space Stamps: An Exciting Account of the Stars, Sun, Planets, and Other Wonders of the Sky. New York: Simon and Schuster. (48 p.) 28 cm. (1954)

There are so many images that rather than scan each I scanned the sheets of stamps.

These stamp books had simple text and 48 color stamps to glue in the appropriate places. George Solonewitsch's stamp art includes paintings of the planets and a rocket to the Moon.

But you should not discount a little extra space art from William Discount (sorry). His drawings of a couple of space scenes to go with the stamps are also a hidden treasure.

This is the only page that has any space flight text but these next few images are nicely futuristic about what children could expect from space flight.

Beside the Moon mankind would also eventually go to tthe other planets.

A very nice book. P.S. your "First Vacation on the Moon" is coming up soon!

To the Moon by Rocket Ship (1940)

2011-01-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

I have very few pre-1950s items in my collection. Since my focus is primarily children's non-fiction about space flight there are now many earlier examples. One might be this 1940 pamphlet from the Fels Planetarium in Philadelphia. At the time a few planetariums were having special shows that took visitors on an imaginary voyage into space.

This pamphlet collected the facts and gave the visitor something to take home. While primitive in appearance I image many children who were in love with Buck Rogers being facinated that it might someday all be true.

The text give you the feeling that the presentation was sort of like an early version of the modern science fiction epic where you are immersed in an science fiction adventure to the Moon.

Do You Know About Our Solar System? (1963)

2011-01-21T17:27:00.000-08:00

A quick one on a Friday. While most of this book has pictures of the planets it does have one excellent illustration worth sharing.

King, H C. Illustrated by Hall, Roger. Do You Know about Our Solar System. London : Collins Sons and Co. (48 p.) 27 cm. Cloth. (1963)

Mostly concerned with astronomy, there are illustrations of space probes, the surfaces of several planets and a manned landing on the Moon. "Pageant of Knowledge" series.

The Illustrated Story of Space (Classics Illustrated) (1959)

2011-01-18T16:37:00.000-08:00

This is the cover you would have found on the American edition of this comic book and this is the British cover:

I like how they chose to "flip" the image.

Classics Illustrated were comics books intended to educate as well as entertain. They often were fictional "classic" books in comic book form such as Moby Dick. They also had a special series called "The World around Us." These were non-fiction comic books about topics of interest.

Classics Illustrated. Illustrated by McCann, Gerald, Glanzman, Sam, and Tartaglione, John. The Illustrated Story of Space. Classics Illustrated. (80 p.) 26 cm. Softcover.

Contains illustrated stories on training for space, the first rocket to the Moon, the history and use of the rocket, the launch of Vanguard 1, and the construction of a space station. "The World Around Us" (#5) January 1959.

"These are no longer the dreams of science fiction. They are part of real life."

The excitement of assembling a space station

Just page after page of excitement about what was just around the corner...

The ship they chose for the landing on the Moon seems a little odd. Why carry a winged plane all the way to the Moon when you will leave and return to a space station?

I also love the angle they chose for this illustration. You really feel like you are climbing down to the surface.

"When you're ready to go to the planets, sir, I'll be standing by!"

Space Patrol Official Handbook (1952)

2011-01-14T15:52:00.000-08:00

This is a re-run for you fans of my old Dreams of Space site but I wanted to tell the story again.

This is a booklet that I was amazed to find and even more amazing was that the only mention of it was buried in the introduction of a totally different book I had read 8 months before I ever saw this book. And it has nothing to do with the old Space Patrol TV series.

From the Introduction to Space Aces! Comic Book Heroes from the Forties and Fifties by Denis Gifford 1992.

"My own entry into the sci-fi world really happened in 1952. I was drawing 'Flip and Flop' and other comic characters for Mick Anglo's comic-books when I conceived my great idea. Within a month I had compiled and launched Space Patrol Official Handbook, from the Space Patrol Headquarters, 16 Sydenham Park, SE26! 'Your Passport to the Planets', as I advertised it, contained 'Everything you want to know about the Life on Other Planets, Space Suits, Spacecraft Recognition, Insignia, Interplanetary Languages - plus Space Patrol Membership Certificate! Secret Codes of the Spaceways! Interplanetary Passport! Gazetteer of the Galaxy! Real Photographs of Spaceships! (pinched from space films, of course) and the Space Man's Code of Honour!' Also a 'Free Jet-ex Jet-propelled Rocket Ship in Easy Competition! - It Flies!' All this and more in one twenty-page blue-covered booklet for a one-and-sixpenny Postal order! A word of warning - don't send a 1s 6d PO to SPHQ, will you? I sold out and moved! Anyway, as there are only two known copies left, the Handbook would now cost a little more than seven and a half pence!"

There was even a copy of the old advertisement he had reproduced in the book:

Well with only 2 copies around I never thought I would see this book in my space book hunting.

The booklet is a marvel of homemade early science fiction fandom. It mixes movies, old science fiction ideas, and a dash of space science.

Since it is so "rare" I am happy to share with you this essential guide to spaceflight.

As you can see he was shameless in borrowing from the science fiction films of the time.

The question is this raises is simple. Is this a unique item? It is certainly obscure but I have had some else write me to say that they had one too. So is this simply amateur science fiction or is it the ultimate expression of that child within us that wants to tell everyone about how cool spaceflight is?

I think the guy was hoping to make a little money off of cashing in on the latest fad. This book represents to me why I started collecting these things. They are obscure and forgotten but someone needs to save them and make sure future generations can appreciate how wonderful the early space age was. For I do believe we are part of the early space age and there is a lot more to come.

Casper Presents Space-Age Dentistry (1972)

2011-01-10T10:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! this post is a follow-up of sorts to my post on December 13 about the Casper Apollo 16 poster http://dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2010/12/apollo-16-poster-with-casper-friendly.html

I am always interested in the stories behind my books and ephemera so I have been looking for more about Casper and Apollo 16. I found this 1972 promotional comic about dentistry, Apollo, and Casper!

The comic has a number of space references in the background, although unfortunately no image from my poster.

I have some scans of selected pages from the comic that reference space flight and Apollo. It never says Apollo 16 in the comic but from the date of the comic this must have been a quick promotional item printed to take advantage of the connection.

I continue to be fascinated by how space flight ideas were imbedded in popular culture. If you notice the ubiquitous Apollo mission poster and model behind the children in the dentist's office. This diagram needed no explanation as a summary of how we got to the Moon.

If it wasn't for the poster I found I would never have known about this connection between a cartoon ghost and one of our great adventures of the 20th century. I also might have missed learning about "Space-age dentistry."

I would have never even bothered to look for this piece of popular culture. It really places this comic squarely in the 1970s when the last line of the comic is "Right on!"

Happy Holidays from My Room

2010-12-17T10:55:00.000-08:00

Marx space men, Lego Saturn V, Ribbons from 1969, C.S, Hammond poster, Mir Space Station

This will be my last post of this year so I thought I would invite you all over to my room for a party! My house does not have a lot of wall space so I have decorated my office instead. Most people's reaction upon entering is silence as they try to take in what a BIG spaceflight fan I am.

Lenticulars from Vari-vue, W. C. Jones, Asahi Trading Co., Reaver Ship from Serenity,

I have been slowly gathering lenticular postcards of spaceflight and especially the moon landing so this "gallery" is one of my favorite things to look at.

"Space Age", Tin-tin, Snowy, Marx astronaut, Lego Lunar Module, K'nex Apollo 15 Lunar Lander

Here is my "Space Age 1959" poster that I blogged about last spring. In front of it is my lunar module and various space explorers.

Robbie, Dalec, Alien, Lunar Lander

Here you see a collection of assorted robots to the left, a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes that had the "Man in Space" patches I adored as a child, and just a hint of a "Tomorrowland" game. Behind it all is the wonderful poster of all the fictional spaceships made by the authors of the Spaceship Handbook, Jack Hagerty and Jon C. Rogers. Seriously if you don't have that book you need to ask Santa for it soon!

Spy Satellite editorial cartoon, Spaceship one photo, Cover of Man-made Satellites by John Polgreen, Collier's Oct 18, 1952, Flight to the Moon Scrapbook, Mission Space preview pass, 6th anniversary OC Girl Scout celebration

My "space wall". This is a mixture of space related things my kids have done along with images from Disney, Bonestell, Polgreen, and Spaceship 1.

Add caption

Below my wall are a few of my favorite space books. I swap them out every once in a while since I love the covers. If I had the space I suppose I would display all my books this way.

Another piece of comic art that I love. This was the advertisement for a comic called "Race for the Moon". It was drawn and sent to the printer about two weeks after Sputnik 1 went up. I really like the feeling I get from it being at the dawn of the space age.

Finally another favorite poster: "Librarian in Space". I work in an academic library as a biology librarian and was really happy when one of the academic publishers made posters about librarians helping different scientists out. They had undersea, cave exploration, and finally one in space. I know it doesn't actually picture a real librarian but I can "Dream of space" can't I?

Happy holidays.

What Does a Test Pilot Do? (1969)

2010-12-16T11:21:00.000-08:00

Although mostly about aviation and planes this book does have a few cool photographs of some of the other vehicles test pilots got to fly. (POSTSCRIPT Some people on another blog were asking what is that plane on the cover. It is the Bell X-22 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_X-22 )

Wells, Robert. What does a test pilot do? New York: Dodd, Mead 64 p. illus. 23 cm.(1969)

While probably everyone has seen photographs of the LLRV it was one of the crazier vehicles that was ever flown. Famously unstable there is a great YouTube video of an astronaut using the built-in ejector seat right before it crashes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qhcs6qiHLI

The other treat is some photographs I had not seen of the "Lifting body" planes.

I love this close-up. It really does look like those spaceships from science fiction with it chrome body and "bubble" cockpit.

"The possible spacecraft of the future". These ships were too cool.

Apollo 16 poster with Casper the Friendly Ghost (1972)

2010-12-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

OK this is definitely under the category of ephemera. It is a 21 x 32 inch poster of Casper (the Friendly Ghost) flying along with the Apollo 16 Command module over the Moon.

It is probably an artist's proof from someone at Harvey Comics (the "owner's" of Casper)

You can just see the Harvey copyright on this. The reason it was created was because the Command module of Apollo 16 was named Casper. At some point the Apollo 16 astronuats were talking to some children about walking on the Moon and one remarked that the astronauts in their white suits looked like Casper the Friendly Ghost. The crew decided to name their command module Casper to appeal to children's imaginations. The lunar module was called Orion. I have not be able to find out yet whether this poster was ever published.

I do love the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality in this image. Which is harder to believe: ghosts or that a manned ship flew to the moon? The only other information I have been able to dig up since I found this beauty is that a smaller image was issued as a button that I was able to find on a space collector's site.

New Adventures in Coloring (1959)

2010-12-07T16:40:00.000-08:00

Cool stuff is where you find it and I love space art with kids in it. This was a tablet style coloring book with a great front cover illustration.

New Adventures in Coloring. NY: Sandusky (1959). Part of the "Fun Book- Informative Fun" series of books.

Here is close up of the cover (really the best part)

I miss the old lever-controlled spaceships :)

Here is our happy astronaut. I wonder whatever happened to those 360 degree view space helmets (so useful when identifying someone from behind)?

Why do I think he is happy? Well because on the Moon he can travel like this.

In addition he has a "real" rocket. I know I am being silly but the cover really is the best part of this one.

Inside Information on Space Travel (1970)

2010-12-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

A very nice little book that takes us forward to the beginning of the Skylab period in spaceflight. As early as the late 1960s ideas were floating around about using an empty Saturn upper stage as the basis for a space station.

Wood, Leslie Ashwell. Illustrated by Wood, Leslie Ashwell. Inside Information on Space Travel. London : Benwig Books Ltd. (23 p.) 16 x 21 cm. (1970)

For an excellent post about the author and artist, Leslie A Wood see Bear Alley March 2007

The idea of a "space liner" or reusable space ship was also seen as part of the near future. There did not seem much use in having a space station if we did not have a way to "zoom" up and back. It was assumed that we would have such a ship by the late 1970s (based on our rapid progress with Apollo).

A basic book with cutaway paintings of satellites, rockets, a tracking station, the Saturn 5 and Apollo spacecraft, a space station, and a space shuttle. Format is 1 page of text for each painting. Interesting for both its illustrations and its focus on Britain's contribution to spaceflight. Part of the "Inside Information" series of books.

The Earth is Your Spaceship (1963)

2010-12-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

Well let's see if I can be a little more diligent about posting in December. Here is a quick one with not very much "space art". However I love the cover.

Schwartz, Julius. Illustrated by Simont, Marc. The Earth is Your Spaceship. New York: Whittlesey House. (32 p.) 26 cm. Cloth, DJ.

A charming book about how the Earth travels in space, gravity, the causes of day and night etc. It has only one "space" illustration, a child in a space capsule. It discusses the Earth as a model spaceship with air, heat , gravity, food, etc. See 1965 reprint.

The Boy's Book of Jets (1954)

2010-11-30T12:31:00.000-08:00

This is primarily a book about aviation. Although the title seems not to promise much space flight there are some great pictures hidden inside.

The Boy's Book of Jets. London : Thames Publishing Co. (94 p.) 27 cm. 1954.

For example it has this illustration of building a "Bonestellian" moon ship. A very nice reinterpretation of a Bonestell painting.

This cut-away painting of the rocket is also worth hunting down.

And this color rocket painting (touring the solar system) on the inner dust pages.

Since this blog is really about children and space flight I love any illustration of children in space looking back on our home planet.

Although some of you probably like this one too with it's cut-away of a generic guided-missile.

In some way this one is the best in the book with its combination of the 1950s car and the futuristic space car that takes you to your rocket. See you in December!

Introducing Children to Space: The Lincoln Plan (1966)

2010-11-12T16:46:00.000-08:00

I have happy memories of learning about space in school. A number of my friend's dads worked at JPL (The Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in Pasadena. We happily absorbed visions of the exciting space age. Finding this book is like finding a photo album of my classroom in those "golden" years.

Introducing children to space: the Lincoln plan. United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.; Nebraska. University Teachers College. (1966) 159 p. illus., map. 27 cm. NASA-EP-36

The Lincoln plan was Lincoln, Nebraska's curriculum plan for how to bring spaceflight ideas into the elementary school classroom It was eventually published as a NASA educational publication. Like many early NASA publications it is online here: http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19840069191

I remember having a current events board like this in my classroom. I also remember well classroom lined with space posters to help us think about what the next frontier would be.

It is really fun to see that my memories of being immersed in space stuff are not just an exageration. We really did sit around in class and watch launches and other events on television. We thought we were witnessing history.

And we really did dream of the future. We thought by 1999 we would be out in space ourselves. We were sure that the exploration of the Moon was just the beginning for us.

Adventures in Space (1955)

2010-11-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

This is another of those awesome books that bowls you over when you see it. If I had seen this as a child I would have carried it around until the binding was shot.

Kepps, Gerald. Illustrated by Branton and Teece, I. Adventures in Space. London : Ward, Lock and Co Ltd. (44 p.) 26 cm. (1955)

This amazing early space book covers the solar system, how rockets work, construction of rockets and space stations, and journeys to the Moon, and the planets. Wonderful paintings of rockets, space stations, a Moon base, exploration of the outer planets. Text is very simple with many full page illustrations.

It is a children's annual because it also has six two page comic strips: 3 on the exploration of space, the Moon, and rockets, and 3 fictional stories about a space explorer, "Pluton, the Space Boy".

I love this version of the Moonbase. It actually reminds me of shopping malls I've seen.

Sorry this strip is too small to read. I love the Annual archetype of children has friends with a rocket, children see the Earth from space, children experience weightlessness, children land on the Moon, and children learn about space suits and walk on the Moon. I have seen variations of this strip several times.

A beautiful (and proper) circular space station.

A great 3 stage rocket. I love that so many illustrations are double-page.

Conquest of the Moon (1969)

2010-11-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

A quick one today:

Sutton, Felix and Maurer, Alvin. Illustrated by Mora, Raul Mina and NASA. Conquest of the Moon. New York: Wonder Books. (59 p.) 29 cm. (1969)

Arranged in a question and answer format and reusing material from the "How and Why Wonder Books" series. It answers questions about what is known about the Moon and the history of the efforts to explore the Moon both manned and unmanned.

Space Diorama- Jack & Jill Magazine (June 1959)

2010-10-29T10:16:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!!! Here is your treat for today (Be sure to click on the image): your own "Space Diorama."

Not quite a punch-out but rather a cut-out set of space pictures. One of the magazines for kids that was popular when I was little was Jack & Jill. It was always moderately interesting and it is always fun to get stuff in the mail. This was a centerfold that you could cut out. Usually they would have a game but it was a "Space Diorama" this time.

As you can see it was not presented as science fiction but rather something that just hasn't happened yet.

The influence of Chesley Bonestell's (and other) space art is undeniable in this illustration. This is what it would look like to stand on the Moon.

I also like the Rolf Klep style space suits. The three illustrators of the Collier's magazine space series were Rolf Klep, Fred Freeman, and Chesley Bonestell. Both Freeman and Bonestell were known for their magazine illustration but Klep was much less known. Nevertheless his spacesuit illustration set a standard for how suits should look.

As compared to the work of this unknown Diorama artist:

The spaceship's basic form was established in the early 1950s so this Diorama perpetuates the "classic" form.

Thanks for looking at this odd bit of ephemera. It still amazes me that almost exactly 10 years after this illustration was published of the "long time in the future" there were men on the Moon.

Tomorrowland : Pictures to Color (1955)

2010-10-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

Still fascinated with the line between fiction and non-fiction. So here is a case of imaginary animals playing in a real place. How does putting animals in a spacesuit convince children that space is a "fun" place?

Why with Mickey Mouse of course. It looks like the art was done for this coloring book before the final construction of the Rocket to the Moon ride.

Here is how the rocket was shown in other illustrations:

So this is space art but of a very basic variety. But Tomorrowland meant spaceflight to a lot of people so Mickey Mouse is Disney:

The next few show Chip and Dale actually going to the ride pavilion and taking the ride

When you entered the ride you saw an auditorium with seats where you watch the central screen

We land on the Moon (1963) /Men on the Moon (1964)

2010-10-26T09:36:00.000-07:00

This one was first published in the United States and then reprinted in England a year later. The sub-titles give it away. We Land on the Moon :Based on NASA'a Project Apollo (1963) and Men on the Moon: Based on America's Project Apollo (1964).

Raymond, John. Illustrations furnished by the NASA. We Land on the Moon: Based on NASA's Project Apollo. Long Island, NY: Child Guild Publications Inc. (94 p.) 29 cm.

Raymond, John. Men on the Moon : Based on America's Project Apollo. London : Collins. (96 p.) 29 cm.

the text is a mixture of NASA's planned effort to explore the Moon and a fictional narrative of what the first mission might be like. It is illustrated with some very strange aerospace contractor's illustrations along with the standard early Apollo illustrations. Presented as a text intended for school use (with a space term glossary) it really has to be seen.

You go from this early contactor's model to.....

...this illustration from a pulp science fiction story. And the pictures are all mixed together.

Are they orbiting Mars?

Of course you need your Moon Buggy!
This next one looks like a contractor's illustration except I think they are orbiting Mars.
And this one takes us back to the Moon. Wait a minute, wasn't this book supposed to be about the Apollo mission to the Moon?

OK, here is a contractor's painting of our favorite Moon vehicle, the un-manned "shopping cart." This book is not hard to find and is rewarding for the number of space art illustrations.

Spaceport U.S.A. (1953)

2010-10-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

Spaceport U.S.A. (1953) is a recent arrival in my space library. As I have said I really like punch-out books about space. This one seemed to be a little harder for find but also a little more expensive. Luckily I have low standards :)

I was able to find a partially used copy, which explains why the first image looks strangely incomplete. Here is a scan of someone else's copy with the full cover.

It does have the (more or less) complete back cover.

It is these images of our brave new future that brought me to these books. Even if inspired by the Television space heroes I think that showing children what could be coming soon is thrilling.

I am a fan of the 1950s building designs, so even if this image is incomplete I still like the suggeestion of our spacebase in the Rocky Mountains.

And of course, where would we be without our base on the Moon. Except of course that IS Saturn in the sky next to Earth. Maybe we will move the planets around in the future to create more inspiring sky scenes. Or maybe Saturn is so cool to look at that artists can't resist sticking it in any picture.

The last illustration to share seems to be of the "moon children." It seem like there is another helpful race of folks around to help with our space future. More likely it will be the relaxing of child labor laws that will allow children out into space. My new cry for future children is not: "You will go to the Moon!" but rather "You must go to the Moon!" (To build our bases please).

The Science Book of Space Travel (1954)

2010-10-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I love the cover on this one.

(1954) Goodwin, Harold Leland. Illustrated by Coggins, Jack. The Science Book of Space Travel . New York: Franklin Watts Inc. (213 p.) 20 cm.

Filled with drawings by Jack Coggins this book includes all areas of space travel, including a history of rockets, travel to the Moon and the planets, and UFOs. A good overview of the popular space science of the time. See also the 1956 US softcover and 1957 UK hardcover reprints.

Very detailed and almost romantic this book has some very nice illustrations.

Audels Encyclopedia of Space Science (1963)

2010-10-06T17:17:00.000-07:00

A thick two volume encyclopedia that is just that, lots of terms and subject. But this book also has some very nice illustrations. If you hunger like me for new space art you find yourself looking through any book of a "certain age" that might have some space pictures in it.

(1963) Highland, Harold Joseph. Audels encyclopedia of space science; the marvelous world of space and electronics. New York: T. Audel. (1004 p.) 25 cm.

Mostly I wanted to share a few more pictures.
Everyone remembers Jet-Packs and wants their own but what happened to my Flying Platform!

Here is a very early model of the proposed Lunar Lander

Some NOVA Rockets

And a nice flight into interstellar space

Your Trip Into Space (1953)

2010-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

One of the fun things about blogging about my books is analyzing them in new ways. Right now 1953 is my leading year for space books and ephemera. This one makes the 21st book in that category and truthfully I don't remember very much about it. I didn't bother to pull this out of my archives so all I have here are some badly made scans.

(1953) Poole, Lynn. Illustrated by Geary, Clifford. Your Trip into Space. New York: Whittlesey House. (224 p.) 21 cm.

The illustrator Clifford Geary did a number of children's books and has a nice loose style of drawing.

While not realistic in the least he does convey information and livens up the text.

Space travel covers a lot of subjects so most of these early space books were trying to teach children physics, space medicine, engineering, and maybe some communications technology. Better yet it needed to be taught in a basic way so they could build on the concepts of what the future might bring.

As I have noted before, I can't imagine many of the writers or illustrators imagined when they were creating these books that space flight and a moon landing were going to be in the immediate lifetime of their readers. So if you read this book at age 10 you were around 26 when they landed on the Moon. Which predictions do you think will come true in the next 16 years?

Operation Moon (1962)

2010-10-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

A very short pamphlet to share today. I don't know much about this but the date. It evidently was an encouraging pamphlet for working Americans presented with a wild new idea. And speaking of dates doesn't this illustration below seem eerily accurate? From 1962, a Moonlanding in 1969 was on the schedule but this is a little creepy. I know the real mission didn't launch until July 16th but I can give them the benfit of the doubt for accuracy from 7 years away.

An additonal bit of interest is that the Apollo design in the drawings is still far from the final version.

It looks like they were still planning a single stage to the moon mission, judging from the lander shown. The next illustration suggests one of the motivations for this pamphlet, the fact that the Russians might get there first. In fact I have found very few depiction of the Russians on the Moon (including the Russian flag) in English language books.

In 1962 it seemed like an impossible goal set by a opportunistic but charismatic president. We will go to the Moon...But can we go to the Moon?

Man-Made Satellites (1957)

2010-09-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

You may have wondered why I have never blogged about this book, Man-Made Satellites. Partially it is because I think everyone who loves old 1950s children's books has seen it. Secondly because I have been saving a story about it for my 200th blog post.

(1957) Ley, Willy. Illustrated by Polgreen, John. Man-made Satellites. Poughkeepsie, NY: Guild Press Inc. (44 p.) 29 cm.

John Polgreen's space art is astonishing. He has a dreamy air-brush style that is part of the core memories of a lot of 1950s kids.

Since his art is so good I have been trying to learn more about him for years. Ever since I first had a website I loved to find and show off his work.

I did discover why there seemed to be so many copies of this particular book.

Sugar Jets cereal had a promotion where you could get a copy of this book for $0.50.

One of the first real cool things I found on the internet was a copy of this book still in the mailing cardboard box from Sugar Jets. But something cooler was yet to come.

As I searched Google for any mention of John Polgreen I came across some Heritage Galleries auction for John Polgreen paintings from this series. What was even stranger was how familiar the wording on these listings sounded:

John Polgreen - "Space Travel" Illustration Original Art (Adventures in Space, 1958). America's future in space had become a nation-wide fad by the mid-fifties. It was not a question of if we would land on the Moon but when. The Adventure in Space books were at the forefront in their technical sophistication of how men would travel to the Moon. John Polgreen's acrylic on board painting captured the thrilling moment of a lunar touchdown. The image area of the painting measures 13" x 12" and the art is in Excellent condition. From the Random House Archives.

Compare that to this text from my website "Dreams of Space": http://dreamsofspace.nfshost.com/1954-1956.htm

Strangely two of the other painting's descriptions also seemed very familiar:

John Polgreen - "Space Travel" Cover Illustration Original Art (Adventures in Space, 1958). John Polgreen's airbrushed painting captured the stark light and harsh conditions of this cosmic scene perfectly. In the fifties, science author Willy Ley opined, "The younger generation of rocket engineers is just beginning. They are of the new generation to which space travel is not going to be a dream of the future but an everyday job with everyday worries in which they will be engaged." The acrylic on board painting has an image area of 20" x 13", and the art is in Excellent condition. From the Random House Archives. vs my page:

http://dreamsofspace.nfshost.com/

AND this quote ALSO from that page:

John Polgreen - "Man-made Satellites" Cover Illustration Original Art (Adventures in Space, 1958). With the discoveries of liquid-fueled rockets in the 1930's and the use of V-2 rockets in the 1940's, rocket travel went from science fiction to science fact. In post-World War II America everything seemed possible, even traveling to the Moon. A new trend in children's books predicted the space-age era the "Baby Boomers" would grow up in -- a thrilling time of limitless exploration. The image area of John Polgreen's cover painting measures 19.5" x 13" and the art is in Excellent condition. From the Random House Archives.

Yes someone at the auction house had trouble finding information about John Polgreen so when they Googled him they found my quotes. When I called them they apologized and I was sort of flattered.

But after all that who deserves (to be very immodest) more than me to own John Polgreen painting for the cover of the first book in the "Adventure in Space" series?

As I said, this may be my greatest treasure of space book collecting. It is both a beautiful painting and signifies the best of the children's books I love. Happy 200th post to me!

Space Story Omnibus (1955)

2010-09-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

(1955) Boyd, Edward and Allward, Maurice. Illustrated by North, T E, Branton, R.A. and Gaffron, Bruce. Space Story Omnibus. London : Collins. (128 p.) 26 cm.

An "annual" with a mixture of fictional stories and factual articles. The non-fiction articles were written by Maurice Allward on subjects such as the "history of rockets", "construction of a space station", "space medicine", and "a landing on the Moon". Includes a future space travel timeline predicting the first space station by the late 1960's and a Moon landing in the year 2000.

The headers for these Allward articles were very nice. Really gave a nice vision of moving outward.

I also like this particular color (or colour) plate. It is a nice combination of the older idea of gliding back with the parachute return. I don't know why they chose to combine them but it is a nice painting.

My next post will be post number 200! I will be sharing one of my greatest treasures. See you then.

Space Models (1960)

2010-09-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

I love punch-out books. It is like getting a toy in book form. I have a number of space related punch-outs so I thought I would share a few more. This particular one is space-related only by virtue of the cool rocket ship and the space platform in the book.

Space Models (1960)

Tom Corbett: A Trip to the Moon (1953) / Tom Corbett's Wonder Book of Space (1953)

2010-09-17T09:00:00.000-07:00

Two books with different titles yet identical content. I don't share much juvenile space fiction but this one is an exception because of its beautiful art. One of the best remembered TV space heroes was Tom Corbett. Out of the many products that came out this is the one that appeals to my visionary sense.

Martin, Marcia. Illustrated by Frank Vaughn. Tom Corbett's wonder book of space / Tom Corbett: A Trip to the Moon. New York, Wonder Books. 18 p. 21 cm.

Around this time, along with the idea that space was a real place you can go, came illustration of children in space. The cover with Tom Corbett showing the children what the Moon is like is a vision of a future when children expected to go to the Moon some day.

This is strong stuff, to show that the Moon is more than a light in the sky, it is a place where you have to wear a spacesuit to walk around.

The artist Frank Vaughn paints a little like Norman Rockwell. His children are beaming with energy and excitement at going to such a cool place. Frank illustrated a number of children's books.

The other vision of the future, which I may have mentioned before, is the power of children staring back at the earth. The very idea of standing on the Moon and looking back to the Earth opens a child's mind to how big the universe really is. People have suggested that the photograph of the whole Earth from Apollo 8 led to the ecology movement because we suddenly saw how small the Earth was. This same vision from 15 years earlier leaves a similar impression on me.