Daily Book Graphics #1292

© 1974

Daily Book Graphics #150 / Space Race III

This book was first published in 1951 with a second edition in 1958. Of the three books in my three day tribute to the moon landing, this book is the most primitive. You can tell from the illustrations that they had no idea what American space craft would ultimately look like. There is a science fiction feel to the depictions.

Daily Book Graphics #149 / Space Race II

This book was published in 1960 with a revised edition in 1962. It's main focus it the preparation for space travel as at the time of the publication of the revision John Glenn had just become the first American in space. This is one of those stamp/sticker books where kids would put certain illustrations in place. Is there a name for that genre? The illustration of the hallucinating astronaut is the best the part.

Daily Book Graphics #148 / Space Race I

end papers

Since the 40th anniversary of the moon landing is tomorrow, I'm going to do three days of space race related posts. The above illustrations are from Man's Reach into Space, published in 1959 and updated in 1964. The book spends a lot of time on the history of flight leading up to space travel and the effects of flight on the human body.

Daily Book Graphics #73 / The Moon

This is from the same series as Your Wonderful Body, the book I posted about in DBG #60. Published in 1966, it was aimed at an elementary school audience in the run up to the Apollo missions. I find these illustrations unsettling, particularly the astronaut with the thermometer, hot or cold, death seems eminent.