Near the end of the Apollo 15 mission, David Scott and fellow moonwalker James Irwin conducted a secret ceremony unsanctioned by NASA: they placed on the lunar soil a small tin figurine called “The Fallen Astronaut,” along with a plaque bearing a list of names. This book enriches the saga of mankind’s greatest scientific undertaking, Project Apollo, and conveys the human cost of the space race – by telling the stories of those sixteen astronauts and cosmonauts who died reaching for the moon. Many people are aware of the Apollo launch pad disaster in which three men lost their lives, but few know of the other five fallen astronauts whose stories this book tells as well: among them, Ted Freeman and C.C. Williams, who died in the crashes of their -38 jets; the “Gemini Twins,” Charlie Bassett and Elliot See, killed when their jet slammed into the building where their Gemini capsule was undergoing final construction; and Ed Givens, whose fatal car crash has until now been obscured by rumors. The extraordinary lives and accomplishments of these and other fallen astronauts – including eight Russian cosmonauts who lost their lives during training – unfold here in intimate and compelling detail, supported by extensive interviews and archival material. Their stories return us to a stirring time in the history of our nation and remind us of the cost of fulfilling our dreams.

Fallen Astronauts: Heroes Who Died Reaching for the Moon

Biographies & Memoirs

Burgess, Major Colin

Doolan, Kate

Professionals & Academics

Bison

The life of the Queen Mother was intensely secret. The most senior and best respected member of any royal family in history, she did not give one media interview in her 101 years. This affectionate and often hilarious glimpse into her world by her former equerry reveals what life was really like living with the most private of all the royals. From dancing with Fred Astaire to living through the Blitz; from the time Princess Margaret caught fire at a dinner party to when Prince Charles sought solace from his grandmother as his marriage collapsed, each anecdote and observation provides an historic insight into one of our longest surviving institutions. Constantly fascinating and packed from start to finish with previously untold stories that lift the lid on the idiosyncrasies of royal protocol, this is also a celebration of a life gone—and a way of life fast disappearing.

Behind Palace Doors: My Years with the Queen Mother

Carter, Paul

Leaders & Notable People

John Blake

She was described as the most dangerous woman in Europe by Adolf Hitler; Noel Coward said people who spent any time with her were always reduced to "gibbering worshippers;" she adored Margaret Thatcher and disliked Germans; and she found the French comical and hankered for the old days of Empire and Commonwealth. Above all, though, she was loved by the nation and in this affectionate and often hilarious inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, her former equerry Major Colin Burgess reveals what life was like living with the most private of all the Royals. A unique and warmly remembered historic insight into a longest-surviving packed with previously untold stories, this is also a celebration of a life gone—and a way of life fast disappearing.

Behind Palace Doors: My True Adventures as the Queen Mother's Equerry

The Queen Mother did not give one media interview in her 101 years. This is a brief glimpse into that wonderful world by a man who spent two years constantly at her side from 1994 to 1996 and then as a close friend until her death in 2002. In this sharp, funny, and evocative memoir, Major Colin Burgess draws on his years as her right-hand man to recount numerous stories of an extraordinarily long and eventful life. From dancing with Fred Astaire to living through the Blitz; from the time Princess Margaret caught fire at a dinner party to when Prince Charles sought solace in his grandmother as his marriage collapsed; each anecdote and observation provides an historic insight into one of our longest-surviving institutions. Constantly fascinating and packed from start to finish with previously untold stories that lift the lid on the idiosyncrasies of royal protocol, this is warmly remembered celebration of a life gone—and a way of life fast disappearing.

Behind Palace Doors: My Service As the Queen Mother's Equerry

Historical

Bonnier Publishing Fiction

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Books by Burgess, Major Colin