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Apollo : An Eyewitness Account By Astronaut/Explorer Artist/Moonwalker

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If you have a strong interest in Space travel, and always wanted to talk to the Astronauts that went to the moon to ask them how it felt or what they were thinking as they walked on a planet other then earth, this is the book that will bring you to a time that has never been repeated. A time when man walked on the moon.

Mr. Bean's use of his fantastic artwork to describe a part of his life when he was a member of the elite few, chosen by NASA, to become the first to walk on the moon, is the closest you will get to actually being there.

It is a book of Mr. Beans paintings but also a trip thru the minds of some of our first Astronauts. If how space travel began interests you at all, I strongly recommend obtaining this book. It's a must have to any collector of Space Memorabilia.

Alan Bean's unique artistic vision is beautifully presented in this book. Bean's art thoroughly supplements the pounds of moonrocks and racks of datatapes as payback for the Apollo program, and the book is the first comprehensive collection of his work. Bean's first hand stories of Apollo 12, and Chaikin's text provide an adequate refrence for the pictures... but the pictures are the story. The Apollo program may well be the defining event for all the 20th century, and Alan Bean's artwork captures the humanity of the moon landings in a way that is instantly comprehendable on a very human level. I won't be shocked if, 100 years from now, Alan Bean's paintings of the early days of theexploration of space is treasured along side Thomas Moran's paintings of the American West.

This is a nice addition to the currently available literature on the Apollo program. For those who are unfamiliar with Alan Bean's work, it is more impressionistic, rather than focusing on complete, detailed accuracy. Those who watched "From the Earth to the Moon" and expect the same kind of art may be disappointed. However, Bean's work adds another layer to the basic photographs we've already seen, incorporating the sense of grandeur and "magnificent desolation" that the astronauts were able to experience. Chaikin's text does not add anything that was not already covered in his book, so don't purchase this text to find out new facts about Apollo. DO purchase this book for the paintings. It makes you want to own a Bean original!

First, let me say Alan Bean is one of the most articulate of the Apollo Astronauts who walked on the Moon. In addition to the painter himself captioning his collective series of truly unique "Paintings from the Moon", you owe it to yourself to purchase the DVD, "For All Mankind". This DVD is reviewed elsewhere on this site, but it and this particular book of Mr. Bean's paintings will likely become most treasured additions to your collection of manned spaceflight memorabilia.

I also found the dramatic characterization of Alan Bean, and exploits of his Apollo 12 crewmates, depicted in Tom Hank's 1998 HBO miniseries, "From the Earth To The Moon", to be very entertaining. That espisode of that facinating and truly outstanding TV production was first telecast in 1998. This book was published in the same year and the two works complement each other very well, upstaging most of the other spaceflight documentaries somewhat lacking in humanistic content.

We are very fortunate to have had at least one Astronaut with additional interests other than pure science and aerospace engineering, to share his extraordinary experiences while a key member of the Apollo program.

The one and only thing missing from my copy of this book is Alan Bean's personal autograph!

We have seen many of the photos, but now, we have a different perspective of the greatest journey of exploration in the history of man. Al Bean seems to be just as good an artist as he was an astronaut. Bean displays some of his great work depicting important moments from the 6 missions to land on the moon. For every painting there is an explanation so the reader knows what they are looking at. From Dave Scott and his Galileo demonstration to the first moonwalk of Neil Armstrong, Al Bean has done some paintings that make this book a gem. I highly encourage any person who is interested in space exploration, art or American History to buy this book. Al Bean has done a fantastic job!

The only way, it seems for some people to keep an experience deeply in one's mind is to see it first hand. With the Apollo moon landings 12 men did their best to describe what they saw and try to put it into words through interviews and books. Captain Bean having taken up art as a hobby when he was young never considered there would be a day when he would turn down the offer to command the first shuttle mission and retire from NASA so he could commit himself to his art full time. For those lucky enough to have seen an original painting of his then you have almost experienced the moon yourself! For those many who haven't this book will make you dream of the day you can while allowing you to feel for a brief moment that maybe you have been there! Captain Bean is poetic in both words and illustrations as he describes how it felt to look back at earth and realize it was just him and Pete; everyone else was back on that little marble! The moment forever dramatically changed the way Alan Bean views life and he is able to express that to the readers in both his moving words that don't just recall a story but paint the picture; giving them a new perspective to consider. He gives thought to his dreams and aspirations and encourages and inspires others to follow their own. No matter how many set backs might derail you from your dream you make a step forward each day until you find yourself where you wanted to be all along. His words inspired me in a way no one else ever has. Capt. Bean's art work is history itself as it contains moon dust, boot prints and amazingly enough parts of his own uniform! Looking for each of those historical artifacts in his art would make the book worthy on it's own but it's the feeling you get when you look at his paintings that you know you're looking at what has been seen first hand by our only astronaut artist! Capt. Bean calls himself a painter of dust because when working with the moon that's you medium, dust! You have only what Buzz could describe as a "magnificent desolation" to know that painting the moon in a realistic, majestic manner is more than talent. It's love, awe and the intense feeling of the privilege to be on the moon with his best friend. Maybe it's his talent, maybe it's his eye but I think it's his true feeling of being one of 12 honored to be chosen to explore an unknown place. He feels strongly that he HAS to paint, it's his commitment to what he witnessed. By blending his words and art together into a book you get beautiful history personified! I own many books on the Apollo program but this one I can go back to each time I pick it up and find something new I hadn't seen before. No one better describes what art means to Capt. Bean than a few verses from the Hefner song "Alan Bean" because he certainly expresses his NEED, not just desire, to paint the place he called home for a brief time in history.

"Everyone will forget soon,
The fourth man on the moon,
But I've got it in my mind.
I'd like to paint your eyes,
But I've got to paint the sky.
Going to be a painter all my life.

And what you didn't see,
I'll let you see through me.
I'm going to paint the moon for you."

~"Alan Bean by Hefner"

This book captures the feeling of what it's like to actually BE THERE. Alan Bean's artwork is breathtaking and offers new perspectives on the wonder of space exploration. His use of color is eyepopping and grabs your attention and holds it. You are literally drawn into every painting and I found myself mesmerized by thousands of details. The picture of a "birds-eye view" of a golfball taking flight over the moon is one I will never forget! This is a must have book if you are yearning for an idea of what it's like to take a magical look through the visor of a space suit.

There are sometimes laments that we will never get a proper description of what it's really like to be in space until we send a poet. However, though NASA may not have sent a poet, it did send a painter. Al Bean had dabbled in the arts before and during his tenure as an astronaut, but when he retired he focused on becoming a painter and particularly on creating paintings that showed what it was really like to walk around on the surface of the Moon. This book contains many of those paintings.

The text, meanwhile, is yet another memoir by an Apollo astronaut, and if anything is rather on the terse side, with only brief bits leading up to the more extensive Apollo portion, and only a brief conclusion. It's interesting but doesn't stand out amongst the many other astronaut memoirs, except for the accompanying illustrations. Each chapter concludes with a dozen or so pages reproducing Bean's paintings, with Bean explaining the scene he was depicting and what he wanted to show. This makes this book a unique record of one man's trip to the Moon, and, I suppose, won't be matched until we actually do send a poet.

Alan Bean deserves a lot of praise for his books! At least he and a select {few} other moonwalkers/travelers are open and willing so graciously; to tell the human race about what it was like up and way out there! I f only more astronauts would so unselfishly give of their time, talents and knowledge of Apollo like Mr. Bean has, I well-know that more funding would have been allocated for more Apollo missions and Skylab! Thanks Mr. Bean for sharing the experiencein pictures, paintings and words!

i have purchased many, many PROJECT APOLLO books in the last 20 years; but when it comes to astronaut/explorer/painter-Alan Bean, theres simply no comparison! Mr. Bean has always been my astronaut/idol/hero, and id give anything to be able to meet him--all my life, since apollo 12!. This book needs no words to make the reader, or anyone feel like he or she is actually on the Moon! Thanks Mr. Bean for being one of the Moonwalkers to care enough to bring the Moon to those of us that will never be able to get there; but always dreamed of going there! Thanks to you and this book, people will always know what the Moon experience is, and is all about. Also, thanks for allowing those of us to own a piece [IN YOUR BOOK] OF YOUR PRICELESS ART! Fantastic! Wish I could own and find a copy of your other book: My Life As An Astronaut!