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  Faith 7: L. Gordon Cooper (Colin Burgess)

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Author Topic:   Faith 7: L. Gordon Cooper (Colin Burgess)
ColinBurgess
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From: Sydney, Australia
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posted 09-15-2015 04:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It is with great pleasure that I announce the signing of a publication contract with Springer Books for a book on the Mercury flight of Gordon Cooper. "Faith 7" will be the last in this series of six books on the manned Mercury missions, and is due for submission by next July.

I am currently finalising work on the "Sigma 7" book prior to submission in a couple of months. Meanwhile "Aurora 7" is due for release in the next couple of weeks.

rjurek349
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posted 09-15-2015 04:17 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for rjurek349   Click Here to Email rjurek349     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Congrats, Colin -- I'm looking forward to owning (and reading) the whole set!

Ronpur
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From: Brandon, Fl
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posted 09-17-2015 05:41 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great!! I actually received an email that Aurora 7 is already shipped to me!

JoKepler
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posted 10-02-2015 02:49 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for JoKepler   Click Here to Email JoKepler     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Congrats, Colin. A great series of books!

ColinBurgess
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posted 10-02-2015 06:43 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Thanks everyone for the kind comments. I'm still waiting to see my first copy of "Aurora 7," but from all accounts it's turned out very nicely. Almost finished putting together the "Sigma 7" book and have started some preliminary work on the final one in the series, "Faith 7."

cspg
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posted 02-15-2016 02:10 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Faith 7: Gordon Cooper Jr.: the Final Mercury Mission
by Colin Burgess
  • Paperback
  • Springer-Praxis (Jan. 7, 2017)
  • ISBN-10: 331930562X
  • ISBN-13: 978-3319305622

ColinBurgess
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posted 02-15-2016 02:11 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
As usual, that's a very extended publication date offered by the publishers. I expect to submit the manuscript and photos for editing in just a few weeks, and I would expect the book to be on the shelves around about August.

Ronpur
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posted 02-16-2016 07:55 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am really looking forward to the last in the series! Too bad Deke doesn't get a book!

hermit
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posted 02-16-2016 09:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ronpur:
I am really looking forward to the last in the series!

Not half as much as I am....

cspg
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posted 03-14-2016 03:29 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Tired of the series?

Ronpur
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posted 03-14-2016 04:45 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just want to read another great book! This is definitely a series I wish could go on, but we are out of missions!

hermit
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posted 03-14-2016 04:56 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Faith 7 entered the editing phase today.

hermit
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posted 03-26-2016 03:44 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's almost out of edit now and next week it will be shipped for layout!

Printed copies might appear in July.

ColinBurgess
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posted 03-26-2016 06:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Yes, "Faith 7" will conclude this particular series of books, which has been a tremendous experience for me, if not for my overworked and harried but understanding copyeditor.

I have no interest in continuing the series into the 10 Gemini crewed missions, but another well-respected author (with my permission) has decided to look at this as a future option and has begun the proposal process.

ColinBurgess
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posted 03-28-2016 04:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Today the edited "Faith 7" manuscript left my hands and will go to the production team along with all the images for the book. It's a very special feeling to have completed this series of books, but one also tinged with a little sadness, as the stories of the crewed Mercury flights have occupied me for quite some time now, and I'll miss writing about the guys and those amazing pioneering NASA missions.

In associated news, the copyeditor and I will shortly be receiving the page proofs for "Sigma 7" to allow us a final pre-publication check of the contents and style. These should arrive on or before April 15, so that book is well on track with possibly a May or June release, all going well.

ColinBurgess
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posted 06-21-2016 02:11 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Not long now, folks; the page proofs have been checked and sent back to my editor, who will forward them with some small but necessary corrections to the Springer production team for final set-up and eventual printing. Barring any problems, expect "Faith 7" to be available in about 2-3 months.

moorouge
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posted 07-20-2016 12:47 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
A recent mail from Amazon is mentioning a delivery date of mid-August. Can't wait.

ColinBurgess
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posted 07-29-2016 06:42 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Although it is still listed at Amazon as a 17 August release, I've just been notified that my complimentary copies as the author have been shipped off to me, so I'm assuming Amazon will begin sending out copies any time now.

hermit
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posted 08-04-2016 03:10 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I received a copy from Springer.

ColinBurgess
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posted 08-17-2016 07:34 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I have now received my author's copies of "Faith 7," and once again I am delighted with the way it has turned out.

While cause for excitement, it also means I have reached the end of the Mercury series of books and I can only hope that those who have been following the series also enjoy this final volume. It has been a true pleasure putting it together.

hermit
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posted 08-18-2016 08:37 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
His editor is also glad that Colin has reached the end of the series!!

cspg
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posted 08-18-2016 09:50 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for cspg   Click Here to Email cspg     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
My copy is in the mail (shipped today).

Ronpur
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posted 08-19-2016 03:35 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Mine too! Arrives on Saturday!

moorouge
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posted 08-23-2016 08:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for moorouge   Click Here to Email moorouge     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Congratulations Colin on completing a wonderful series of books. They will be a great resourse for future students of the early days of America's manned spaceflight programme and make a very readable history of those times. I'll even forgive you for missing a major anomaly in one of them.

(He does know about it now and has had his leg pulled about it. It remains for Colin and myself to know and for others to work out which flight and what anomaly.)

Hart Sastrowardoyo
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posted 08-23-2016 10:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Hart Sastrowardoyo   Click Here to Email Hart Sastrowardoyo     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
So when does Colin offer a complete set, signed and individually numbered?

ColinBurgess
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posted 08-23-2016 05:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
It's impossible to do within Australia due to the extortionate international mailing costs now being imposed by Australia Post, but I am currently working on an idea with Steve Hankow from Farthest Reaches which will involve flying over to Los Angeles for an open signing, but it's early days as yet.

ColinBurgess
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posted 09-01-2016 02:00 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am now prepared to say that of the six Mercury books ranging from Alan Shepard's flight through to Gordon Cooper's, the one I was really waiting to get stuck into was the final one - "Faith 7."

The reason: for many years I've felt that much of Cooper's autobiography "Leap of Faith" was quite frankly (and sadly) awful, with most of the second part of the book devoted to supposed alien and UFO encounters, and even though he participated in writing this book, I felt he deserved a lot better. I am just wondering out of those who have already read the book, have I succeeded in offering a far truer portrayal of the man?

Any opinions either way will be welcome.

heng44
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posted 09-01-2016 06:45 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for heng44   Click Here to Email heng44     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am still in the early stages of the book, but what I have read so far looks like a very balanced account of Cooper's life op to his flight assignment. Very well done. Usually I skip the 'early life' parts of astronauts books, but for some reason I found this very interesting.

ColinBurgess
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posted 09-01-2016 05:52 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Many thanks, Ed. In case folks aren't aware of it, Ed gave me permission to include two examples of his wonderful artwork (portraying Gordon Cooper) in the book.

Ronpur
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posted 09-01-2016 06:33 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ColinBurgess:
Ed gave me permission to include two examples of his wonderful artwork
Yes, and those are AMAZING! I just started reading two nights ago, and hope to get more done tonight. I love it so far. I have never read his book, so I can't really compare to that. Still wish Deke had a book, too, lol. Or did you write one for him already?

heng44
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posted 09-04-2016 07:49 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for heng44   Click Here to Email heng44     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I am reading the flight's aftermath chapters at the moment and I really like the book. Just like the other five in the series, I should add. Very complete account, also on the post-flight activities. It is great to have it all those details together in one book.

hermit
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posted 09-04-2016 04:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What I really like about this series of books is that they deal with the Mercury missions as "events" in history, not just as flights into space.

ColinBurgess
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posted 09-04-2016 06:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ColinBurgess   Click Here to Email ColinBurgess     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Ronpur:
Or did you write one for him already?
I don't think anyone could ever top Mike Cassutt's seminal book "Deke," which was a massive necessity in astronaut biographies, and so full of anecdotal information that it will always remain a prime source of background stories for me.

I did encapsulate Deke's story in the "Aurora 7" book, explaining why Scott Carpenter took over the MA-7 mission originally assigned to him. A great man indeed, and Deke thoroughly deserves to have some future space program or orbiting facility named for him.

hermit
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posted 09-05-2016 06:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for hermit   Click Here to Email hermit     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
There was the Cygnus "Space Ship Deke Slayton" ISS resupply mission which was lost at launch in 2014 when the Antares rocket failed, then there was the successful launch on an Atlas a year later of "Space Ship Deke Slayton II."

Ronpur
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posted 09-16-2016 09:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Ronpur   Click Here to Email Ronpur     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well, I finished the book, and as with all the others, I loved it, but was sad when I was done. Not just because it is the last of these books, but because we have lost almost all of these great men.

Thankfully, we will always have Colin's books to help us and future generations remember them and the totally crazy and heroic things they did in these little tiny spacecraft.

And thanks for that recommendation for the Deke book. I will seek that one out.

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