Full Moon [Hardcover]

Michael Light (Author), Andrew Chaikin (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 18, 1999

The most thrilling of all journeys--the missions of the Apollo astronauts to the surface of the Moon and back--yielded 32,000 extraordinarily beautiful photographs, the record of a unique human achievement. Until recently, only a handful of these photographs had been released for publication; but now, for the first time, NASA has allowed a selection of the master negatives and transparencies to be scanned electronically, rendering the sharpest images of space that we have ever seen. Michael Light has woven 129 of these stunningly clear images into a single composite voyage, a narrative of breathtaking immediacy and authenticity that begins with the launch and is followed by a walk in space, an orbit of the Moon, a lunar landing and exploration, and a return to Earth with an orbit and splashdown.

     Graced by five 45-inch-wide gatefolds that display the lunar landscape, from above the surface and at eye level, in unprecedented detail and clarity, Full Moon conveys on each page the excitement, disorientation, and awe that the astronauts themselves felt as they were shot into space and then as they explored an alien landscape and looked back at their home planet from hundreds of thousands of miles away.

Published on the thirtieth anniversary of Apollo 11--the first landing on the Moon--this remarkable and mesmerizing volume is, like the voyages it commemorates and re-creates, an experience both intimate and monumental.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In Full Moon, one of the best science photography books ever published, Michael Light presents a voyage in images to the Moon and back. Light took NASA's master negatives of photos taken by Apollo astronauts and scanned them electronically. The resulting pictures are so vivid they seem more clear than real life. Light orders the photos sequentially, selecting the most arresting images from each mission, to create a truly cinematic experience. In the first section, depicting blastoff, you can almost feel the violent shaking of the rocket as it strains to escape Earth's gravity. Then you see the quiet stillness of weightlessness, the astronauts' view down at a perfectly silent Earth, boundless oceans contrasting with bright white clouds. A spacewalk adds vertigo--the astronaut looks fragile and very alone as he floats outside his capsule far above his home planet. Then comes the waiting, as the long voyage toward the Moon continues.

As you watch the cratered surface get closer and closer, you have no sense of scale until you see the miniscule silver and gold lander dropping gently to land on the Moon. Leaving the cluttered interior of the capsule in bulky, awkward suits, the astronauts bring delicate tracings of color--gold on the lander; red, white, and blue on the spacesuits' flag patches--to this black-and-white world. Five huge gatefolds in this section give you indescribable views of the intricately scarred surface of the Moon.

You return to space for the reuniting of the lander and capsule, and a repetition of the tedious journey back home. Finally, you watch a chaotic splashdown in the riot of colors that is Earth.

A nice section in the back of the book explains each photo with a detailed caption, and an essay by author Andrew Chaikin (A Man on the Moon) adds more written context to this stunning visual experience. The book is printed on very high-quality paper, with matte black frames for the photos and a gorgeous, wordless cover. Every space fan should have a copy. --Therese Littleton

From School Library Journal

YA-A San Francisco artist and photographer has pulled together 129 stunning, black-and-white and color photographs from 32,000 previously unavailable pictures of the Apollo missions. He has lovingly put them together to form one continuous moon voyage. The photos, mostly taken by astronauts, show fiery, explosive liftoffs; gorgeous, striking earthscapes; astronauts floating by their single umbilical cords in space; hauntingly beautiful moon shots; and many alternate shots recognizably from the first moon landing. An essay and a section explaining when, where, and by whom all the photos were shot are included. A terrific addition for libraries that need tie-ins with science, photography, history, or creative curricula.
John Lawson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 236 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (May 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375406344
• ISBN-13: 978-0375406348
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 1 x 11.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #60,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Equipment, Techniques & Reference > Color
  • #46 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Photo Essays
  • #51 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Astronomy & Space Science > Aeronautics & Astronautics

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The images of the 20th Century. October 30, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

Yes, Michael Light could have chosen better known photgraphs. Yes, Michael Light could have supplied NASA Index numbers for each photo. Yes, Michael Light could have done many things differently.

What Michael Light has produced is one of the most stunning collections of photographs I have ever seen in a single volume. I have sat looking at these images and found it hard to drag myself away. The stark monochromatic beauty of the moon together with the fragile humanity embodied in the astronauts has been exposed in a way I have never seen before.

I cannot understand why NASA has never made better use of its image library in bringing to the attention of the public its space program. If a picture paints a thousand words then this volume would take a lifetime to read.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Astronauts As Outstanding Photographers? Who Knew! February 7, 2000

By Dave Carter

Format:Hardcover

I have read most of the books about manned space flight published to date. Although several of these books are outstanding, and provide an in-depth perspective that can only be expressed through the written word, none of them gives me the virtual moon-trip experience that this beautifully constructed book does.

It's not just a book of beautiful photographs (and they are beautiful). There is appropriate text that accompanies the photos in a separate section. The very large photos are printed with NO text on the page to detract from the scenes displayed. Descriptive text is provided at the end of the book along with accompanying thumb-nail prints of the photos.

Whatever NASA invested in educating the astronauts in photography paid-off. I'd love to see more!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars STUNNING! February 1, 2000

By C. Lacher

Format:Hardcover

This book is absolutely incredible! The quality of the photos is simply outstanding, making the moon shot feel like it just happened yesterday not 30 years ago. It brought back all the goosebumps I felt as a highschooler when the astronauts first stepped on the moon. Presenting the pictures separate from the text makes you focus entirely on the visual before you. The foldouts are so impressive and encompassing.

In addition, the essay answered basic questions about the space program brought up by the photos but kept it short enough to not read like a history book. This is a book I'll return to again and again. Already I have run after friends, book in hand, shouting, "Look at this one! Look at THIS!" A fabulous additon to anyone's library but most especially for anyone with even the slightest interest in the space program. It offers an artist's interpretation and presentation of a truly amazing and life-altering event.