Moon Shot; The Inside Story of America's Race to the Moon

Norwalk, CT: The Easton Press, 1997. Collector's Edition. Limited Edition, number 1103 of 3000. Hardcover. As new. 383, [1] pages. Color Frontis. Illustrations. Index. Removed from original shrinkwrap for cataloguing. The Easton Press's books are known for their elegant covers. Each book has the following features: Bound in genuine leather; Spine accented with 22 kt gold; Printed on archival paper; and Gilded page edges. The special contents of this edition were copyrighted in 1997 by The Easton Press. Facsimile signature of Alan Shepard on front cover. Authentic signature of Alan Shepard is on the Collector's Edition page above the number of the limited edition. Laid in is a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Alan Shepard and dated 10-27-96 and witnessed by Louise B. Shepard and dated 10-27-96. The certificate indicated that the Author received 25 additional unnumbered copies over and above the 3000 individually numbered copies. The Certificate is also signed by Roy S. Pfeil, Publisher. Thus, there are two Alan Shepard autographs! Also laid in is an unattached Easton bookplate. Rear Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 - July 21, 1998) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961 he became the first American to travel into space, and in 1971 he walked on the Moon. A graduate of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Shepard became a naval aviator in 1946, and a test pilot in 1950. He was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959, and in May 1961 he made the first manned Project Mercury flight, MR-3, in a spacecraft he named Freedom 7. His craft entered space, but was not capable of achieving orbit. He became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space, and the first space traveler to manually control the orientation of his craft. Shepard was designated as the commander of the first manned Project Gemini mission, but was grounded in 1963 due to Ménière's disease. This was surgically corrected in 1969, and in 1971, Shepard commanded the Apollo 14 mission, piloting the Apollo Lunar Module Antares to the most accurate landing of the Apollo missions. At age 47, he became the oldest person to walk on the Moon, and the only one of the Mercury Seven astronauts to do so.