Moon Walking, Becoming Human and Amazing Animals
The books highlighted below commemorate the 40th anniversary this month of the first manned landing on the moon
By Kate Wong
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PAINTING APOLLO: FIRST ARTIST ON ANOTHER WORLD
by Alan Bean
Smithsonian Books, 2009 ($39.99)
Alan Bean is the only artist to have set foot on the moon. This book pairs 107 of his evocative paintings with essays from experts ranging from art critic Donald Kuspit to Apollo flight director Gene Kranz. The volume is a companion to an exhibit of Bean's work at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum that will run from July 16, 2009, until January 13, 2010.
Veteran space writer Andrew Chaiken has interviewed 23 of the 24 astronauts who flew on the Apollo moon missions and chronicles their explorations in their own words. Included are 160 rarely seen photographs shot by the astronauts themselves.
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