Posts: 130
From: Maryland
Registered: Jan 2014

posted 04-01-2026 07:45 PM            

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Any suggestions for books on the Mercury or Gemini programs? (Probably separate books for each program.)

Something a bit more readable vs. technical and hopefully a bit more into the history of them than most astronaut memoirs get.

Posts: 1480
From: Vancouver, WA, USA
Registered: Feb 2012

posted 04-03-2026 10:36 AM               

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If you can find a copy, "American Space Exploration: The First Decade" by William Roy Shelton published by the Little, Brown and Company, in 1967. There is coverage of robotic satellites as well as Mercury and Gemini.

Also, "Gemini!" by Virgil "Gus" Grissom, published by the Macmillan Co., 1968; and "We Seven" by "The Astronauts Themselves," 1962, 1963.

Posts: 6389
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2001

Posts: 2191
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 04-04-2026 06:46 AM               

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Just to add to Philip's message, I also wrote a series of books for Springer on each of the Mercury missions; books were "Freedom 7" through to "Faith 7". I did not want to continue the series through each Gemini mission, so with my blessing Dave Shayler took it on.

You might also want to check out the two books I wrote with Francis French: "Into That Silent Sea" and "In the Shadow of the Moon" which cover all the American and Soviet missions up to the first moon landing.

Posts: 918
From: Derbyshire UK
Registered: Mar 2023

posted 04-04-2026 06:56 AM               

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The Schiffer publishing series "America in Space" gives a good overview in the Project Mercury and Project Gemini books. Both are well illustrated, and both give a chronological account of each programme launch, including non-manned firings.

A word of caution though, they are both translated from the original German and contain numerous typos and mistakes which should have been sorted during proof-reading - but overall, the mistakes are quite evident and do not compromise the books' worth.

Posts: 130
From: Maryland
Registered: Jan 2014

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