A Telegraph Best Science Book of the Year “A witty yet in-depth exploration of the prospects for human habitation beyond Earth...Spacefarers is accessible, authoritative, and in the end, inspiring.” —Richard Panek, author of The Trouble with Gravity It’s been over fifty years since Apollo 11 landed on the moon. So why is there so little human presence in space? Will we ever reach Mars? And what will it take to become a multiplanet species? While many books have speculated on the possibility of living beyond the Earth, few have delved into the practical challenges. A wry and compelling take on the who, how, and why of near-future colonies in space, Spacefarers introduces us to the engineers, scientists, planners, dreamers, and entrepreneurs who are striving right now to make life in space a reality. While private companies such as SpaceX are taking the lead and earning profits from human space activity, Christopher Wanjek is convinced this is only the beginning. From bone-whittling microgravity to eye-popping profits, the risks and rewards of space settlement have never been so close at hand. He predicts we will have hotels in low-earth orbit, mining and tourism on the Moon, and science bases on Mars—possibly followed (gravity permitting) by full blown settlements. “Nerdily engaging (and often funny)...Technology and science fiction enthusiasts will find much here to delight them, as Wanjek goes into rich detail on rocketry and propulsion methods, including skyhooks and railguns to fling things into orbit...He is a sensible skeptic, yet also convinced that, in the long run, our destiny is among the stars.” —The Guardian “If the events of this year have had you daydreaming about abandoning the planet entirely, [Spacefarers] is a geekily pleasurable survey of the practicalities and challenges.” —The Telegraph “The best book I’ve read on space exploration since Isaac Asimov.” —Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic

The Sun swings behind the world. Night engulfs him. The dull metal craft plunges through space, its portholes pale beacons containing the silhouette of a man, and the only other lights are the stars themselves. Can one act define a man? Or his country? Ascent is the spellbinding thriller by critically acclaimed British novelist Jed Mercurio. Inspired by the secrets still surrounding the USSR's race against the United States to put a man on the moon, Mercurio asks the chilling question, What if the Americans weren't first? Ascent takes us on the perilous journey of its singular hero, the brave and determined Yefgenii Yeremin. Yefgenii rises from the privation of a Stalingrad orphanage in 1946 to the heights of the cosmonaut corps. During the Korean War he joins an elite Soviet squadron conducting a secret air war against the famous aces of the U.S. Air Force. Dubbed Ivan the Terrible, he amasses more jet kills than any fighter pilot in history, but his feats must remain unknown to his countrymen, his victories un-celebrated. After the war, his achievements are scrubbed from the records and he is exiled to a base above the Arctic Circle, where he flies patrols on the edge of American airspace. There he learns that Yuri Gagarin has become the first man in space, the greatest of all heroes. And then, as America's Apollo astronauts prepare to reach the Moon, he is given a new name and sent into cosmonaut training. Throughout his career, he has craved a place in history, in the climactic clash between the two great powers. At last his country calls him. And somewhere between the Earth and the Moon, Ivan the Terrible finds his mission to create history, to exceed his own life. With one of the most fascinating heroes in recent fiction, Ascent builds a terrifying scenario within the shadowy history of the space race. Haunting, tragic, boldly inventive, Ascent is a tour de force of imagination.

This book presents an interpretation of Maurice Scève’s lyric sequence Délie, object de plus haulte vertu (Lyon, 1544) in literary relation to the Vita nuova, Commedia, and other works of Dante Alighieri. Dante’s subtle influence on Scève is elucidated in depth for the first time, augmenting the allusions in Délie to the Canzoniere of Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca). Scève’s sequence of dense, epigrammatic dizains is considered to be an early example, prior to the Pléiade poets, of French Renaissance imitation of Petrarch’s vernacular poetry, in a time when imitatio was an established literary practice, signifying the poet’s participation in a tradition. While the Canzoniere is an important source for Scève’s Délie, both works are part of a poetic lineage that includes Occitan troubadours, Guinizzelli, Cavalcanti, and Dante. The book situates Dante as a relevant predecessor and source for Scève, and examines anew the Petrarchan label for Délie. Compelling poetic affinities emerge between Dante and Scève that do not correlate with Petrarch.

Stanley Kubrick ranks among the most important American film makers of his generation, but his work is often misunderstood because it is widely diverse in subject matter and seems to lack thematic and tonal consistency. Thomas Nelson's perceptive and comprehensive study of Kubrick rescues him from the hostility of auteurist critics and discovers the roots of a Kubrickian aesthetic, which Nelson defines as the "aesthetics of contingency." After analyzing how this aesthetic develops and manifests itself in the early works, Nelson devotes individual chapters to Lolita, Dr. Stangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining. For this expanded edition, Nelson has added chapters on Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut, and, in the wake of the director's death, reconsidered his body of work as a whole. By placing Kubrick in a historical and theoretical context, this study is a reliable guide into—and out of—Stanley Kubrick's cinematic maze.

Since the beginning of time, the Derelict has been trapped within the confines of Forbidden Space. Only the most ancient races in the Universe know of its existence and that of the darkness concealed on board. The Derelict was supposed to be an enigma that was to forever remain unsolved. However, for xeno-archeologist Dr. Thomas London and the crew of Union Acquisition Team Phoenix, the Derelict was about to become their next assignment. Known as the best at acquiring rare artifacts of dead alien civilizations, Team Phoenix becomes the prime target of a plot to secure the secrets from the Universe's most coveted mystery. To acquire the Derelict, London and his team will have to challenge a pantheon of the Universe's most revered race, the Star Gods, with the survival of the Universe hanging on the outcome.

The first in-depth, fully illustrated history of global space discovery and exploration from ancient times to the modern era “The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration examines civilization’s continued desire to explore the next frontier as only the Smithsonian can do it.” —Buzz Aldrin, Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 astronaut and author of No Dream Is Too High Former NASA and Smithsonian space curator and historian Roger D. Launius presents a comprehensive history of our endeavors to understand the universe, honoring millennia of human curiosity, ingenuity, and achievement. This extensive study of international space exploration is packed with over 500 photographs, illustrations, graphics, and cutaways, plus plenty of sidebars on key scientific and technological developments, influential figures, and pioneering spacecraft. Starting with space exploration's origins in the pioneering work undertaken by ancient civilizations and the great discoveries of the Renaissance thinkers, Launius also devotes whole chapters to our space race to the Moon, space planes and orbital stations, and the lure of the red planet Mars. He also offers new insights into well-known moments such as the launch of Sputnik 1 and the Apollo Moon landing and explores the unexpected events and hidden figures of space history. The final chapters cover the technological and mechanical breakthroughs enabling humans to explore far beyond our own planet in recent decades, speculating on the future of space exploration, including space tourism and our possible future as an extraterrestrial species. This is a must-read for space buffs and everyone intrigued by the history and future of scientific discovery. "This oversize offering is a space nerd’s dream come true." —Booklist