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Author
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Topic: Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard, Jr. (Colin Burgess)
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cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-25-2013 09:20 AM
   
Freedom 7: The Historic Flight of Alan B. Shepard, Jr.
by Colin Burgess This is the first volume in a new miniseries, called Pioneers in Early Spaceflight. These books are not intended as typical biographies but more documented histories of the major players and their accomplishments in the early space program. In fact, U.S. astronaut Alan Shepard during his lifetime never wrote or authorized a book on his life, apart from participating to some extent in the much-criticized book, "Moon Shot" which was written by a journalist. Instead, the proposed book is the story of the Mercury-Redstone program and how it led to the history-making Mercury suborbital spaceflight aboard Freedom 7. Although Shepard went on to later accomplishments with NASA, particularly as a moonwalker on the flight of Apollo 14, this book focuses on his historic space mission in May 1961 aboard Freedom 7, a 15-minute suborbital shot during which he became the first American to fly in space. It is the first account in recent memory to do this and fills in a crucial gap in our understanding of the early days of the space race. - 2013, 250 p. 120 illus.
- Springer, January 15, 2014
- ISBN 978-3-319-01155-4
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hermit
Member Posts: 186
From: Scotland
Registered: Jun 2009
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posted 05-25-2013 09:22 AM
It goes to Springer for layout in a couple of weeks. |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 05-25-2013 10:24 AM
Sounds interesting! |
GoforEVA
New Member Posts:
From:
Registered:
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posted 05-29-2013 07:00 AM
Can't wait!!! |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 05-30-2013 06:44 AM
I must admit I was somewhat pleasantly surprised at Spacefest when Robert Pearlman told me that this book had already been announced on collectSPACE by Chris, although there is still a little production work to be done on it. However, yes, this book is essentially about the flight of Freedom 7 rather than just another biography of Alan Shepard. It begins by tracing the development of the Redstone rocket, the early Mercury launches prior to MR-3, the flight and recovery of Freedom 7, and then an examination of the whereabouts of the spacecraft from 1961 through to today.I can perhaps throw in a small surprise by adding that I am now working on a follow-up book on the suborbital flight of Liberty Bell 7 carrying Gus Grissom. As the early part of the Freedom 7 book examines the history and development of the Redstone booster, so the Liberty Bell 7 book examines the development of the Mercury spacecraft. I felt it was about time America's first two human spaceflights, albeit suborbital, were given their due historic recognition after all these years. There are numerous biographies of both Shepard and Grissom, but none of these books give an overly extensive coverage of their respective space flights. I hope to have this second book completed and off to the appointed copyeditor by the very latter part of this year, with a possible release in the spring of 2014. More news later... |
hermit
Member Posts: 186
From: Scotland
Registered: Jun 2009
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posted 05-30-2013 06:53 AM
I'm looking forward to your announcement that you are writing a book about the flight of Friendship 7. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-30-2013 06:55 AM
quote:
Originally posted by ColinBurgess:
More news later...
I'm dying here!  |
hermit
Member Posts: 186
From: Scotland
Registered: Jun 2009
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posted 05-30-2013 07:28 AM
Seriously folks, whatever your expectation of the Freedom 7 book, you can safely double it! |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 05-30-2013 04:05 PM
The Amazon.co.uk link. |
heng44
Member Posts: 3386
From: Netherlands
Registered: Nov 2001
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posted 05-31-2013 12:56 AM
In an ideal world there is a series of books about each and every manned spaceflight. David Harland has written two books on Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 and now Colin will do MR-3 and MR-4 (and hopefully more). I am a fan of books like that...  |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-17-2013 04:37 PM
Amazon.com link added above. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 06-17-2013 06:43 PM
With the Freedom 7 manuscript now with Springer Books and undergoing the production process I have now turned my attention to researching and writing the follow-up book on the flight of Liberty Bell 7 with Gus Grissom. I expect this book to be published sometime around the middle of next year.If anyone thinks they have some information on Gus's suborbital flight that should be in the book I'd be very pleased to hear from you. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 06-22-2013 09:17 AM
Cover is available from Springer's web site and release date is now September 30. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 06-22-2013 09:11 PM
Just a final read-through of the page proofs to be done, and a check to make sure that all of the 190 photographs are correctly positioned within the text, and it will then go to printing. The cover art is outstanding - this is one area where Springer-Praxis do a great job. And yes, I can verify a September release, assuming all goes well on the production side.Work now well under way on the Liberty Bell 7 follow-up book. |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 08-18-2013 10:22 AM
Amazon just updated their availabilty date of the book and moved the release date from December 2013 to September 30 (2013 of course ). |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 08-18-2013 11:23 AM
I just pre-ordered my copy |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 10-03-2013 08:23 AM
Available from Springer's web site. |
PeterO
Member Posts: 399
From: North Carolina
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 10-03-2013 10:15 AM
I pre-ordered it from Amazon, with September 30 shown as the publication date. Yesterday Amazon sent me a message saying that it is not available, and they will let me know when they have an estimate. The Amazon product page now says October 31. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 10-05-2013 04:42 AM
Amazon.com shipped my copy 10/4. |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 10-05-2013 08:13 AM
Wow, they must have ran out then because I pre-ordered from Amazon, and they haven't shipped mine  |
garymilgrom
Member Posts: 1966
From: Atlanta, GA
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 10-05-2013 08:20 AM
Is there any coverage in the Redstone development section of Hydyne, a fuel developed for the Explorer 1 launch? Thank you. |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 10-05-2013 09:44 AM
quote:
Originally posted by jjknap:
Wow, they must have ran out then because I pre-ordered from Amazon, and they haven't shipped mine.
I've pre-ordered mine as well on 6/24. In the UK, it is available but ships in one to three weeks... |
hermit
Member Posts: 186
From: Scotland
Registered: Jun 2009
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posted 10-05-2013 05:12 PM
quote:
Originally posted by garymilgrom:
Is there any coverage in the Redstone development section of Hydyne, a fuel developed for the Explorer 1 launch? Thank you.
There is mention of it. |
ejectr
Member Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 10-06-2013 06:23 AM
Why is it not a hard cover? |
cspg
Member Posts: 6210
From: Geneva, Switzerland
Registered: May 2006
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posted 10-06-2013 09:22 AM
For the price they're selling those as softcovers, I don't want to know how much it would cost as hardcovers. Also there's the notion of print-on-demand. And if memory serves me well (and from those Springer-Praxis books that I still have), only two came out as hardcovers: Project Mercury and Tracking Apollo to the Moon. |
hermit
Member Posts: 186
From: Scotland
Registered: Jun 2009
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posted 10-06-2013 05:56 PM
quote:
Originally posted by cspg:
...only two came out as hardcovers: Project Mercury and Tracking Apollo to the Moon.
'Tracking Apollo to the Moon' is a Springer book, not a Springer-Praxis book.
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gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 10-07-2013 05:40 AM
quote:
Originally posted by ejectr:
Why is it not a hard cover?
I suspect the limited print run/cost is the main factor. Personally I dislike soft covers as they rapidly show signs of wear and generally have weak bindings. It rules out a lot of discretionary spend, but in this case I'll still buy another excellent-looking Colin Burgess book! |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 10-10-2013 04:47 AM
Amazon.com says now: "In Stock on October 13" |
minipci
Member Posts: 365
From: London, UK
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-10-2013 07:58 AM
Any chance of signed copies being made available for purchase? |
Chariot412
Member Posts: 156
From: Lockport, NY, 14094
Registered: Jun 2011
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posted 10-10-2013 08:57 AM
If you mean by Alan Shepard, probably not.  |
minipci
Member Posts: 365
From: London, UK
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 10-10-2013 09:40 AM
That's a shame! |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3445
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 10-10-2013 11:07 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Chariot412:
If you mean by Alan Shepard, probably not.
Not unless you want a signature that is... ghost written [grin, duck].
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fredtrav
Member Posts: 1673
From: Birmingham AL
Registered: Aug 2010
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posted 10-10-2013 11:50 AM
What do you mean? He still signs. You can find his recently signed stuff on eBay... Having passed away doesn't matter anymore. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 10-10-2013 04:39 PM
My wife and I have only just returned last night from a lengthy vacation in Europe and a Med cruise, arriving home to the sad news about Scott Carpenter. I have yet to catch up on the release date for the Shepard book, but it should be sometime soon. I will see what I can find out.I'll be getting back into finalising the Grissom/Liberty Bell 7 book, for which Scott Carpenter gave me some reflections on his fellow Mercury astronaut at the last Spacefest in Tucson. This great and gracious man will be sadly missed. |
jjknap
Member Posts: 273
From: Bourbonnais, IL USA
Registered: Apr 2011
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posted 10-10-2013 05:25 PM
Amazon just shipped my copy. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 10-10-2013 07:40 PM
Yes, I've just had confirmation from a couple of friends that copies are now being shipped out. I haven't received my allotment of copies as yet, so I hope the book has turned out well. I know copyeditor David Harland put a massive effort into this book as it suffered some production problems during my absence, but my fingers are crossed that it has all come together well.I will be organising a signing session with Steve Hankow of Farthest Reaches next May, so copies will be available through him, and of course I will also be signing copies of this (and hopefully the follow-on Liberty Bell 7 book) at next year's Spacefest VI. |
Ronpur
Member Posts: 1211
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012
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posted 10-16-2013 09:52 PM
I just received this book today, and started reading it.Wow, it is awesome! I have never read any of Colin Burgess' books before. It looks like I will be reading a lot more. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 10-17-2013 12:05 AM
Thanks for the kind words, Ron. Amazingly, you are seeing the book before me, as I'm still awaiting my copies to arrive in Australia. If you enjoy this book, then you might want to know that my follow-on book, on the flight of Liberty Bell 7 with Gus Grissom, will likely be released next spring. |
Lasv3
Member Posts: 410
From: Bratislava, Slovakia
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted 10-17-2013 06:51 AM
Looking forward to this one as well (while waiting for the Freedom 7 impatiently). |
Ronpur
Member Posts: 1211
From: Brandon, Fl
Registered: May 2012
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posted 10-18-2013 11:43 PM
I am really looking forward to the Liberty Bell 7 book. I must say, I enjoyed the chapter about Ham's flight! I never really see much about his adventures published. Edit: I will add that I finished this book, as I could barely put it down. I have learned a lot more about this flight that I never knew, with my favorite being what Shepard said after splashdown that was not exactly suitable for an open microphone! It made me like Alan Shepard even more than I did before and made him seam even more of a regular guy who was very happy to be doing what he was doing. |
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