This title is definitely one of the best books written about Apollo in recent years. An exuberantly visual treatment of the Saturn/Apollo combination and its specific missions, the work also rues the fact that the Apollo program was rushed to meet JFK's deadline, and didn't fully realize the dreams of Werner von Braun and other 1950s space dreamers whose visions were captured in the paintings of Chesley Bonestell. These form several of a train of full-page sidebars that dominate this book, a design element that invites browsing. Almost every major component of the Apollo complex is displayed, from the ground installations, to the titanic first stage, up to the moonwalker's spacesuit. Standing out among these layouts are those devoted to the most daring and scientifically significant missions, Apollo 15 and 17. Using a panoramic photographic mosaic of those two landing sites amid mountains, Reynolds forcefully impresses the otherworldliness of the moon. In the windup, Reynolds shows von Braun's plan and illustrations for scaling up Apollo into a space station, moon bases, and expeditions to Mars. Instead, following the Skylab interlude, Apollo was turned over to scrap dealers and museum curators. Reynolds' work will attract throngs of readers. --Gilbert Taylor

Archaeologist Reynolds combines a scholarly approach to space exploration and a detailed understanding of the Apollo moon missions with an interesting, well-written, and easy-to-read narrative whose plethora of accompanying color photographs and diagrams are truly spectacular. Topic coverage is exceptionally broad and complete. Included are detailed cutaway drawings of items like space suits and the Lunar Rover, and excellent descriptions of the Cape Kennedy launch site, the various types of moon rocks, and the moonscape. More than a "doorstop," the book contains beautiful up-close photographs of the Moon and Earth as seen from space. There is a good two-page bibliography for related reading and an adequate four-page index. The foreword is by Wally Schirra, Apollo 7 astronaut; the afterword by Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 astronaut; and the introduction by Von Hardesty, curator of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. Highly recommended for both professional and casual readers at every educational level. W. E. Howard III formerly, Universities Space Research Association

It's not just for romance: here's a huge illustrated overview of our efforts to get to the moon. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.