The Three Astronauts [Hardcover]

Umberto Eco (Author), Eugenio Carmi (Author), W. Weaver (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 1989

A Martian's concern for a frightened bird shows three space explorers from America, Russia, and China that just because two creatures look different doesn't mean they have to be enemies.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Italian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Umberto Eco is a professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna and the best-selling author of numerous novels and essays. He lives in Italy. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd (April 3, 1989)
• ISBN-10: 0436140942
• ISBN-13: 978-0436140945
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,739,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932) is an Italian novelist, medievalist, semiotician, philosopher, and literary critic.

He is the author of several bestselling novels, The Name of The Rose, Foucault's Pendulum, The Island of The Day Before, and Baudolino. His collections of essays include Five Moral Pieces, Kant and the Platypus, Serendipities, Travels In Hyperreality, and How To Travel With a Salmon and Other Essays.

He has also written academic texts and children's books.


Photography (c) Università Reggio Calabria

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This man could write for monkeys if he had a mind to it....., October 19, 2000

By 

"ozegirl" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Three Astronauts (Hardcover)

Having been a staunch Eco fan for quite some time, I stumbled across this book and its companion, "The Bomb and the General" quite by accident in a book search. Of course, I purchased both books, ostensibly for my two children, but secretly they were for me. I would give this book a higher rating if I was reviewing it solely for an adult audience.

The collage artwork is charming, and the text has the universality of a fable. However Eco never indulges in sentimentality when dealing with the serious subject matter of human intolerance and the need for a global consciousness (heavy stuff!) Children will enjoy the tale - perhaps the illustrations are not glitzy enough for today's market, but their simplicity enhances the mythic quality of the writing.

Hopefully, this book will trigger some indepth discussion between children and their carers about human nature. An excellent eco-friendly book for ALL the family!

6 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Three Astronauts, July 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Three Astronauts (Hardcover)

We purchased this book for our son whose reading material is at the 4 to 8 yrs level.

This is a picture book & the story is about three astronauts (one from USA, one from China & one from Russia) who find themselves together in a situation where they learn to overlook their differences & learn to work together.

Our only disappointment with this book is the symbolic representations (illustrations) used to depict the three astronauts. Our son was expecting to see the astronauts depicted as people. The astronauts are represented by three pieces of paper - the American is a piece of chewing gum paper, the Russian & Chinese are represented by pieces of paper with Russian & Chinese script. While I can see merit in the concept, I really do think this level of comprehension is beyound that of a child.