Topic: N-1 For the Moon and Mars (Johnson, Stevens)
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 01-08-2014 12:35 PM
This new book about the N-1 booster looks very interesting! The publisher is now looking for early purchasers to help with the printing costs.
Three years in the making by an international team of experts in Russia, England and the US, this is a 235 page, full color, hardcover book that contains the complete history of the N-1, from its origins as a booster for missions to Mars and Venus to, the abrupt change with a directive from the highest levels of Soviet government to “beat the Americans to the moon!”
It is a complex book printed on coated stock with four-color-separations on each page and fold-out pages showing the missions and hardware details. Using the industry standard of setting the retail price at 8X the production costs (to allow for distributor and retailer markups), this book should sell for $79.95. I would like to be able to sell it for $39.95 to make it affordable to modelers and aerospace history buffs, but the only way to do that is to offset some of the production expenses.
Posts: 6301 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 01-08-2014 01:48 PM
Neat. Hats off to the video. Pity the Soviets failed. I love their designs.
Jay Gallentine Member
Posts: 289 From: Shorewood, MN, USA Registered: Sep 2004
posted 01-08-2014 08:06 PM
Magnificent animation!
Looks to be a great book. They've got my money.
RobertB Member
Posts: 253 From: Israel Registered: Nov 2012
posted 01-09-2014 03:38 AM
It seems like this site is made up of the book's primary audience.
cspg Member
Posts: 6301 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 01-09-2014 04:40 AM
I've passed the info along on this side of the Atlantic on the French Astronautics forum. Two have already contributed. And so did I.
David C Member
Posts: 1326 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
posted 01-09-2014 05:17 AM
Well I've pledged, fingers crossed.
lordolsen Member
Posts: 112 From: Denmark Registered: Jun 2010
posted 01-09-2014 08:19 AM
Now they also got my support!
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 01-09-2014 11:52 AM
Only three days to go and all they need now is less than $800.
Come-on, make this happen!
DougS Member
Posts: 65 From: Marion, Iowa Registered: Jun 2013
posted 01-09-2014 03:47 PM
Just under $400 to go!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 48046 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 01-09-2014 09:28 PM
The goal has been reached (and surpassed) with more than two days to go.
Philip Member
Posts: 6132 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
posted 01-25-2014 10:13 AM
Superb video and great to see a book dedicated to the N-1 history...
Ronpur Member
Posts: 1250 From: Brandon, Fl Registered: May 2012
posted 02-27-2014 10:09 PM
I am very excited about this book! I am so grateful I found out about it here.
DougS Member
Posts: 65 From: Marion, Iowa Registered: Jun 2013
posted 03-12-2014 12:01 PM
Received my copy yesterday.
I am extremely impressed with the book!! Very very informative and the CG illustrations and the photos are superb!
Highly recommended.
SpaceCadet1983 Member
Posts: 383 From: Pacific NW, United States Registered: May 2012
posted 03-27-2014 06:32 PM
Thanks to everyone involved in producing such an outstanding reference on the Soviets' N-1 booster.
As a former AFSPC resident expert on the Soviet human spaceflight program and lifelong enthusiast on the topic, I can honestly say you have filled a major gap in our knowledge of such an interesting and yet, long-kept secret Soviet program.
lucspace Member
Posts: 487 From: Hilversum, The Netherlands Registered: Oct 2003
posted 04-27-2014 05:03 AM
Finally received my copy this weekend! Though quite a number of the graphics printed too dark to my taste, this is a great publication.
I think all the N-1 photos I know from online sources are reproduced in good quality and the amount of information on details of the N-1 are amazing. Great work!
Tom Dahl Member
Posts: 39 From: MA, USA Registered: Jan 2012
posted 04-27-2014 07:45 AM
I also received my copy yesterday. A very nice volume.
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-12-2014 01:44 PM
Got my copy today.
Despite some silly blank pages throughout and some badly reproduced photos it looks great!
cspg Member
Posts: 6301 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 05-13-2014 01:41 AM
As for the "silly" blank pages, go to update #16 of the Kickstarter campaign, everything's explained (it is a consequence of using MS Publisher to do the layout).
And the badly reproduced photos (gee, I have to check that!), if the original were of poor quality, not much you can do to make look great!
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-13-2014 01:44 PM
Yes, these are minor flaws in what is otherwise an important reference book.
David C Member
Posts: 1326 From: Lausanne Registered: Apr 2012
posted 05-14-2014 01:11 AM
Mine's arrived. Fantastic content, very happy with it. Good job.
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-18-2014 04:21 PM
Although the book is a fantastic read for the techno-junkie when it comes to the N1 rocket I should point out a big mistake in the text. Scores of engineers did not die in the launchpad explosion in July 1969.
I do vaguely remember a sensational report to that effect appearing during the Glasnost era but it has since been proved wrong - unless there is one last major secret of Soviet spaceflight left?
Anyway, having said that there is still much in it I didn't know myself. I wish I'd heard about Alexander Shliadinsky's efforts to find out about the still secret booster from 1980s Leningrad in time to use in "Cold War Space Sleuths." Great story!
PeterO Member
Posts: 438 From: North Carolina Registered: Mar 2002
posted 05-22-2014 12:59 PM
I received my copy today. It looks like an outstanding book, and well up to the production standards of Hagerty's Spaceship Handbook.
Ronpur Member
Posts: 1250 From: Brandon, Fl Registered: May 2012
posted 05-24-2014 07:39 PM
Mine arrived today, and it was worth the wait! I can't wait to dive into it to learn more about the N-1.
E2M Lem Man Member
Posts: 846 From: Los Angeles CA. USA Registered: Jan 2005
posted 05-25-2014 10:52 PM
I just found my copy on the doorstep yesterday. My first reaction is "cool." The fact that Sidiqi contributed the forward to the book and I assume read it might mean that there are still some secrets that are unknown to us — like how many (if any) technicians died in the second N-1 failure.
So far, this is by far the best book I have read on the subject. (And I have collected quite a few since the early 1970s!)
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-26-2014 04:27 PM
I think Asif would be a little surprised to think that writing a foreward to the book somehow validates such a huge historical error.
Although I haven't spoken to him personally about this particular issue, I'll quote his own words from his definitive "Challenge to Apollo": "Remarkably, no doubt because of the stringent safety precautions, there were no fatalities or injuries, although the physical devastation was phenomenal."
Don't get me wrong, Jack Hagerty and his team have done an brilliant job of detailing the technical aspects of the N1 rocket but some of their knowledge of Soviet spaceflight history is dated!
cspg Member
Posts: 6301 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-23-2022 08:40 AM
I’ve been following the progress of the second edition too but can’t understand why ARA Press has seemingly gone cold on publishing it?
cspg Member
Posts: 6301 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-24-2022 06:22 AM
Change of publisher. Scroll down the updates for March 13, 2022:
"The bad news is that we have given up on publishing via ARA Press, the company we used for the first edition."
You can email them about what to do next (at that date it's between Amazon or e-book).
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 03-24-2022 05:17 PM
Yes, I’d read that already but just wondering why they’re having trouble getting ARA Press interested in printing the second edition...
Considering that the first print run sold out and is now a collectors item, I’d have thought it was a no brainer for ARA to be involved again.
Does anyone have contacts inside ARA to lobby them to reconsider. I much prefer them to a print on demand book.
cspg Member
Posts: 6301 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-25-2022 04:38 AM
Maybe due to the size of the second edition? It is said that it's twice as big. The first edition cost about $50 (can't remember if that includes postage) so I could understand why ARA may be reluctant.
Regarding Orbital Planes by Roland Miller, I had to pay more in postage than the book and reward combined...
dom Member
Posts: 989 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 03-28-2022 03:24 PM
Good news, the authors have decided to produce separate editions to keep everyone happy:
...we will be making the second edition with print on demand, we have decided we will be doing TWO different print editions. One will be softback, to keep the price down, and one will be a hardback collectors edition. For the collectors edition, we are looking to see what bonus content we can provide.
posted 01-08-2014 12:35 PM
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