Posts: 399
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 01-13-2011 03:09 PM               

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I'm torn between which of these two books to get. Both have been reviewed here on cS (Moon Men Return, Hornet Plus Three), and they're apparently both excellent reads.

Since I'm only going to get one, not both, which do you think would be better?

Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009

posted 01-14-2011 01:22 AM               

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Both books are great, worth of having. Hornet Plus Three contains much more photographs, majority in colour, on the other hand, Moon Men Return shows probably the only existing Apollo 11 splashdown photo taken from one of the rescue helicopters.

But if you like the lot of nice photos the Hornet Plus Three is your book then.

Posts: 1328
From: Carrollton, GA USA
Registered: Jan 2003

Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006

posted 01-14-2011 09:31 AM               

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Both are excellent and do well in terms of accuracy. "Moon Men Return" is really dense in detail and focuses on Hornet's role in the recovery, and in some places it helps if you already know the basics of aircraft carriers and spacecraft recovery. "Moon Men Return" reminds me of George Wilson's "Supercarrier" in that it's really the story of a ship and crew doing their jobs the best they could.

"Hornet Plus Three" has a little wider scope, touching on the support ships and aircraft as well as Hornet and embarked air group, and does a great job of bringing all of these elements together (as well as having some really gorgeous photos).

I own and love both -- they're generally well-done books and have a lot of great information -- but if I could only afford one, I'd give "Hornet Plus Three" the edge.

Posts: 450
From: Netherlands
Registered: May 2007

posted 01-14-2011 05:55 PM               

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I have 'Moon Men Return" and I like the way it is written but I miss the pictures. There are only a few pictures in the book. I like pictures to enhance the written story.

I visited the USS Hornet myself and I hoped to see lots of pictures that I could stare at for hours. I will order 'Hornet Plus Three' as well, these books are not that expensive so it is good to have them both.