Starman
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Writer Piers Bizony and award winning film producer Jamie Doran have written a slim, yet well-researched biography of the world's first spaceman, Yuri Gagarin, in Starman. The 250-page book traces Gagarin's jet-propelled life, from his poor- boy roots in the Russian village of Klushino to his historic flight into space on April 12, 1961. The biography's strong point is in its examination of the institutional idiocies and failures that marked the Russian space programme. A classic example would be Gagarin's death in an aircraft crash near Moscow on March 27, 1968. The Soviet authorities left his family believing he was assassinated when it was almost certain that the cause of the crash was a simple air traffic control error. In another incident, a pre-flight report that showed cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov's Soyuz spacecraft had 203 faults--including a parachute that wouldn't open--was pulped. Komarov died in the craft. The biography is a fascinating--yet chilling--look at bureaucracy gone wrong.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
'Starman takes us breakneck speed through Gagarin's strange trajectory...Without books like these to shelter it, history is eroded by propaganda and real heroes fall victim to spin' New Scientist 'A riveting account of Gagarin's life ... Starman brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the time' European 'Starman skilfully achieves two distinct objectives: The uncovering of much of the mystery around one of mankind's finest periods, and a full and respectful acknowledgement that its many great heroes, both sung and unsung, were, first and foremost, human beings' Moscow Times 'Starman was worth writing and is definitely worth reading' Daily Telegraph
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found this book one of the best space biographies I have read. Gagarin's childhood during the 2nd World War is dealt with in an interesting manner but thankfully is fairly brief, thankfully because everybody who reads this book will want to know mainly about his cosmonaut career. One of the key elements of Gagarin's life was his relationship with other people and the effects on his career. His crucial associations with Korolev (The Chief Designer) and Nikita Krushchev are covered very well. As is his rivalry with Gherman Titov, with whom he vied to be the first man in space and become a living legend. Fellow cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, who was close to Gagarin for many years, makes many telling contributions throughout the book. The book more or less stamps on the conspiracy theory that says that Gagarin was murdered by the Brezhnev regime, saying that his death was a tragic if mysterious air accident. The book is well written and easy to read, is full of interesting facts and I recommend it whole heartedly.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Based on a recent documentary, this easily read, informative documentary reflects the accesability of the authors original intentions - to examine the life of Yuri Gagarin, one of the worlds most famous men yet one most people know nothing about.
While the standard biographical contact - Yuri's early life in Nazi occupied Russia, his early career and character - is enjoyable enough, the book comes into it's own when it starts to examine the oftem perilous early years of the Russian Space program.
It's a truly fascinating history of one of mankinds greatest acheivements. One of the books great strengths is that it unearths the secret histories of so many remarkable scientists who's achievements have, to date, been largely eclipsed by the enigmatic First Cosmonaut. However the book avoids excessive technobabble, balancing these aspects with explanations of the emotional driving forces behind the Space Race.
The story of Yuri Gagarin doesn't end with his historic 90 minues in space - rather it can be seen as the beginning of the second, sadder story. Touted as a triumph of Socialist achievement Gagarin was flaunted world wide on a series of gruelling diplomatic engagements which initially showcased his remarkable patience, charm and genorosity, but ultimately drove him to drink, depression and a series of embarrasing incidents that would prevent him from ever returning to space.
Even the unpredictable and untimely death of Yuri Gagarin at the hands of an ancient training jet is clouded with secrecy, yet the authors refrain from pandering to conspiracy theorists and treats this event with an unbiased examination of the evidence.
If one criticism can be levelled at the book it's that this unbiased view is not evident throughout, however with a character of Yuri's status and a story so gripping it is dificult not to be in awe.
A very entertaining read for those with even the most passing of interests in space or 20th Century history. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A brilliant inside story to the worlds first space explorer. Written under pressures from the old "Iron Curtain" secrecy laws this is the closest we will get to the truth of what truly happened during the space race.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very Enjoyable Read
Yuri Gagarin is one of the most famous men of the 20th Century, due to being the first man in space. But how much do we actually KNOW him? Read more
Published 12 months ago by N. Carson
Complete lie!
Book is rubbish. Big fantasy of a small person with valetudinarian character who want to earn money on lie. It doesn't worth even a pound.
Published 14 months ago by eXomen
Facts are not accurate - be careful with this book
A lot of 'facts' are very questionable. Just one and very subjective source usually have been used when this book was written. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Nia
Pleased with this second-hand copy now that book is out of print
Book arrived in very good condition. It was actually bought as a present - my son had put it on his wish list. Read more
Published on 24 Mar 2010 by M. Tynan
Star book!
Great read, with some amazing facts about the 60's russian space race, and its wonders and dangers faced in the blind rush to beat the americans into space.
Published on 13 Jan 2008 by Andy
A tremendous book
A tremendous book, which gives a real insight into the workings of the early Soviet Space Programme, and the character of Yuri Gagarin himself. I enjoyed it immensely.
Published on 20 Dec 2000
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
