Space Race: The Epic Battle Between America And the Soviet Union for Dominion of Space - Hardcover

Cadbury, Deborah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060845538 ISBN 13: 9780060845537

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2006

Synopsis

The story of the race into space is marked by the greatest superpower rivalries, political paranoia, and technological feats of the twentieth century. But until now, we have known only half the story. With the end of the cold war, decades of secrets have been exposed, bringing with them a remarkable opportunity: the unmasking of the true heroes and villains behind one of the most exciting races in history.

At the center of this exhilarating, fast-paced account are Wernher von Braun, the camera-friendly former Nazi scientist who led the American rocket design team, and Sergei Korolev, the chief Soviet designer and former political prisoner whose identity was a closely guarded state secret. These rivals were opposite in every way, save for one: each was obsessed by the idea of launching a man to the Moon. Korolev told his wife, "In every century men were looking into the sky and dreaming. And now I'm close to the greatest dream of mankind."

In attempting to fulfill this dream, Korolev was initially hampered by a budget so small that his engineers were forced to repurpose cardboard boxes as drafting tables. Von Braun, meanwhile, was eventually granted almost limitless access to funds by an American government panicked at the thought that their cold war enemy might take the lead in the exploration of space. Korolev, whose family life was destroyed by his long sentence in the Gulag, was constantly aware that any false move would finish his career or even his life. His rival, on the other hand, enjoyed remarkable celebrity in America and was even the subject of a 1960 biopic.

In this extraordinary book, Deborah Cadbury combines sheeradventure and nail-biting suspense with a moving portrayal of the space race's human dimension. Using source materials never before seen, she reveals that the essential story of the cold war is a mind-bending voyage beyond the bounds of the Earth, one marked by espionage, ambition, ingenuity, and passion.

About this title

Review:

"A fascinatingly detailed account." -- GQ

"This is an utterly engrossing book." -- Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs

"A fascinating book." -- Los Angeles Daily News

A fascinatingly detailed account. --GQ

A fascinating book. --Los Angeles Daily News

"Cadbury skillfully weaves together politics, technology and biographical detail to produce a gripping tale."--Slava Gerovitch, Moscow Times

"A swift, exciting history of the race to the moon....First-rate research and reporting."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"A fascinatingly detailed account."--GQ

"This is an utterly engrossing book."--Robert Legvold, Foreign Affairs

"Cadbury's book is an excellent example of sound research, superb writing, and accomplished storytelling all rolled into one masterly effort."--Library Journal

About the Author:

Deborah Cadbury is the highly acclaimed author of several books, including Dreams of Iron and Steel, The Lost King of France, and Terrible Lizard. She has also won numerous international awards as a television producer for the BBC. She lives in London.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0060845538
• ISBN 13: 9780060845537
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 370