A Monkey's Tale (1964)

Space monkeys!!!

At that point just before we started launching me into space, there were space monkeys (and chimps) who took that heroic journey. That era lasted a relatively short time but fiction about those animals persisted.

Kravetz, Nathan. Illustrated by Susan Perl. A Monkey's Tale. Boston : Little, Brown. 57 p. 21 cm.



As a way to explain and make the whole launch into space process accessible to children primates in space was a favorite fictional topic. I have collected a number of these because of the illustrations that depict the real Mercury-style launches.


Also a little space humor doesn't hurt. The story revolves around a rocket that is launched too soon during a test.

Upon attaining orbit the monkey is able to repair a malfunctioning Russian manned capsule and able to trigger the re-entry of both capsules. This double landing is a great illustration of how the recovery felt to those who were there. Returning from the unknown whether primate or human left everyone with an enormous sense of relief.

You and Space Neighbors (1953)

A very different sort of space art today. This is a non-fiction book despite the fanciful illustrations. Along with the possibility of travel in space was the larger idea of there were places to go in space. This book told about what conditions were like on the other planets of our solar system. They led the reader to imagine what it would be like to be there.

Lewellen, John. Illustrated by Fitch, Winnie and Phelan, Joe. You and Space Neighbors. Chicago: Children's Press. (58 p.) 24 cm.

A sort of sequel to Lewellen's "You and Space Travel" (1951), It showed imaginary people who might live under the different planetary atmospheres and conditions.

Space: Man's New Frontier (1962)

A give away from Red Ball Jets shoes. It was published by C.S. Hammond, better known for atlases, who also made many of the giveaway space maps of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The illustrations in this pamphlet were also used on these map of our "future in space".


Wonderful distinctive art that was reused a number of time by Hammond in their publications.

The illustration of the real and speculative rockets side by side is very nice. The airbrushed smoke makes you feel like the rockets are fueled and ready for take off.


As you can tell I am a sucker for moonbases. The domed settlement on the moon with the elevations reinforces the impression that the settlement was just a few years away.

Voyage dans L'espace (1958)

Travel in Space! This was another example of space stamps in hidden places. Published in both Belgium and France my best guess is that these were albums for stamps that someone would get from consuming chocolate.


I also have the Dutch version with the same stamps




The stamps are beautiful full color tiny paintings.



It seems possible that the launch of Sputnik 1 created an advertising opportunity. The painting are "Bonestellesque". The artist seems to be R. En R Das (which why I think these started as a Dutch book). The author was P.R.O. Peller (which seems like a pseudonym doesn't it?).




These space station shots are minor masterpieces for their detail and impressionistic feel.


I also like the flotilla of moonships in primary colors.

I also really like the moonbase. The illustration of the construction and planning make me wish these had been issued as separate prints rather than hidden in an obscure book.

New York World's Fair 1964/1965 Souvenir Book

Forward into the past! 1964 was the middle of the space race and visions of our glorious future abounded. If you were a very lucky child you got to go to the World's Fair in New York. (Now famous from Men in Black cameo).


Wood, N. and Editors of Time-Life Books. New York World's Fair 1964/1965 Offical Souvenir Book. New York: NY 118 pp. 31 cm.


The space pavillion allowed you to see some of these wonders. One of the highlights was a 3-D movie of space flight in the near future.



You also saw models of future space craft and the details from the upcoming Apollo missions and our conquest of the Moon


It all seemed just around the corner in the brave new future!

Speeding Into Space (1954)

Speeding into Space! Yet another of the beautifully designed children's books of the golden age of space illustration.


Neurath, Marie. Speeding Into Space. New York: Lothrop, Lee and Shepard / London : Parrish. (36 p.) 22 cm. (Also 1956, 1958, 1962 editions.)




Text and illustrations show rocket theory, space walks, space stations and a Moon landing. Illustrations are stylized and "blocky", very different from the usual "realistic" paintings. The choice of using only a few colors make the illustrations that much more striking.

Adventures of Peter Pupp (1944)

With my love for rockets in children's books I am always interested in illustrations. Before 1950 there were few illustrations of rockets for children outside of the Buck Rogers etc. type. This one is a charming fictional book about exploring the solar system.

Roche, Ruth A. Coloring by David B. Icove. Adventures of Peter Pupp. New York, NY: Action Play Books, Inc. 6 1/2" x 8" 30 pp.

Not really rare, just obscure.

Peter is given a chance to go to the Moon in a home-made space ship. The design is more like an wingless airplane with rockets attached. In an alternate universe I imagine this as the first SSTO vehicle. It launches from a ramp but returns and lands on wheels.

He has a wild voyage trying to control the ship.

Upon finding the Weather Man (who lives of course up in the sky) they zoom home again.



I find books like this right at the core of why I like books about space. Fiction or non-fiction they present the idea that space is a place a child could go. It is an adventure waiting and even if you have to build the ship yourself, I still find myself remembering how much I wished I could go too.