{"product_id":"photographic-lunar-atlas","title":"Photographic Lunar Atlas","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE LAST LUNAR ATLAS TO USE PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN SOLELY FROM THE EARTH’S SURFACE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eASTRONOMY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePhotographic Lunar Atlas \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMissouri: Aeronautical Chart and Information Center, Air Photographic and Charting Service (MATS), United States Air Force, February 1960\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eElephant folio (64.5 x 47 x 7.5cm); original ring binder comprised of navy blue pebbled boards, typographically lettered in gilt to upper cover with the United States Air Force emblem and ‘Vol 1’ to the lower right hand corner; containing printed title page showing a blue printed image of the moon, followed by 10 pages of black and white printed introductory text, and 11 quite frankly beautiful plates showing the entire surface of the moon, printed in black and grey, and including the various named zones and numbered impact craters; a further 218 pages of plates follow with a series of dividers (Section A 24 plates; Section B 31; Section C 44; Section D 28; Section E 32; Section F 24; Section S 35), some pages containing multiple images, with black and white photographs showing close ups of the lunar surface; each with printed numbering and reference marks to the upper edge; including named and known craters at the time such as Pythagoras, Reiner and Kepler; first and last page reinforced to verso with cloth tape, likely as issued to support the text block; one small scuff to spine; some nicking around a few punched holes, the first few pages with a couple of tears to the same; the odd black scuff mark to verso; the plates otherwise excellent and clean; some light spotting and dustiness to the guttering along the edge; a little offsetting of the metal rings onto the boards; the rings themselves slightly skewed due to the weight of the publication, and now not completely meeting in the middle, perhaps to be expected. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTrue first edition of an extremely limited run published in this large-scale format for authorized government use only. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis copy contains the manuscript provenance note ‘This Lunar Atlas was presented to my father - Wing Commander W. A. Harrison - by his colleagues. Whilst working at The Pentagon - from 1959 to 1962’. The publication was based on materials collected and prepared under the direction of Dr G. P. Kuiper at the Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago, under contract AF 19(604)-3873 with the Geophysics Research Directorate, AF Cambridge Research Center, Air Research and Development Command. A ‘Civil Edition’ was later offered for sale to the public by the University of Chicago Press. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGerard Peter Kuiper (1905-1973) was a Dutch astronomer who is known today as ‘the father of modern planetary science’. Born with extremely keen eyesight, he was able, from a young age, to see many 7.5 magnitude stars with the naked eye - almost four times fainter than those which could be observed with normal eyesight. After receiving his PhD from Leiden University he travelled to California, where he worked at numerous observatories and eventually became a professor at the University of Chicago, where he was at one point the doctoral advisor to Carl Sagan. In 1958, two years before this publication was released, he worked together with Sagan on the classified military Project A119, a secret Air Force plan to detonate a nuclear warhead on the moon. He was also responsible for numerous discoveries including the finding of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars. Later into the 1960s, he helped identify a series of landing sites on the Moon for the Apollo program.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePlans for this atlas were initiated in 1957, when over 1200 prints of the lunar surface were selected by Kuiper while at the Yerkes Observatory in a contribution to the national space effort of the US Government. The intention was to provide the most complete and best available photographic coverage of the moon to date, with contributors from the US and France. The introductory sections provide a history of the lunar atlas project, as well as information on lunar motions, orbits, physical surface characteristics including mountain ranges and valleys, and numerous other charts and tables. Intended as working copies, this edition notes that “caution should be used in handling of individual Atlas pages since they tear rather easily. The paper, of low tensile strength, was selected…primarily because it permits pencil retouching of photographs when used at the telescope”. This copy, however, has fared better than most, and only contains a couple of short tears to the first few pages. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith the Artemis II mission having just returned to earth at the time of writing, renewed interest in the history of lunar exploration is prevalent, and these photographs represent a rare opportunity to own a significant item within this tradition. Undoubtedly influential in the development of the first crewed moon landing, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ethese photographs together are therefore some of the last to be taken of the moon from the earth’s surface alone. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExtremely rare in this format. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e*Please note that this is a large and heavy publication, and as such additional shipping costs will be required*\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fold the Corner Books ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56692637991236,"sku":null,"price":2250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/8711\/0212\/files\/746b02616.jpg?v=1777235593","url":"https:\/\/foldthecornerbooks.co.uk\/products\/photographic-lunar-atlas","provider":"Fold the Corner Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}