Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Sputnik: The Shock of the Century by Paul Dickson ISBN: 0-425-18843-4 Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc. Pub. Date: 01 April, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.13 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A must for President Bush and his advisers
Comment: Paul Dickson's "Sputnik" should definitely be read by President Bush, his advisers and staff. The book reveals how President Eisenhower remained calm and determined as America in 1957 came close to panic over "The Shock of the Century" -- the Soviet Union's launch of the world's first satellite. The crises that America faces today make the book remarkable timely. Dickson tells the exciting story of how Eisenhower steadfastly stood up to powerful domestic forces: hot-headed politicians, panic-stricken pundits, trigger-fingered military and "Strangelove" missile-men - all led by Nazi hero Wernher von Braun - who would have surely used their beloved V-2 rockets to move the world toward a buzz-bomb Armageddon. Instead, Eisenhower quietly and resolutely directed levelheaded scientists and trusted military in America's achieving undisputed space leadership. Dickson's "Sputnik" is an excellent guide for Washington - and all Americans -- today.
Rating: 3
Summary: A Good Contribution to Space History
Comment: Paul Dickson has done a good job of telling a great story - the events leading up to and following the launch of Sputnik 1. He has done the most thorough job of research on this topic of any author to date, and is especially good at sprinking anecdotes which illustrate the political and personal aspects of the race into space and the aftermath of the Soviet victory.
There are some mistakes in the book. Dickson's statement that Sputnik carried only a transmitter and no instrumentation is an error (as he has acknowledged and intends to correct). The author never does prove his claim from the Introduction that President Eisenhower "welcomed the launch." He does explain well how and why the President, focused on keeping space open for future reconnaissance satellites, was not nearly so upset by Sputnik as most DC politicos were. Dickson also doesn't explain clearly that those who "saw Sputnik" actually saw the booster rocket - the satellite was invisible to the naked eye. Finally, the book has a bit of a padded feel, with asides on everything from The Femininine Mystique to the the creation of the Internet. Some of these are only vaguely related to Sputnik.
The general reader won't be put off by the dearth of footnotes, espcially since the chapter notes and bibliography are good. As a fellow space history enthusiast, I would have liked more specific sources for some statements and anecdotes.
The bottom line, though, is that this is a valuable addition to space history.
Rating: 5
Summary: The Shock Is Still With Us
Comment: If you want an understanding of how the United States endede up as the 800-pound gorilla for the rest of the world, you should begin with Paul Dickson's meticulously researched and cleanly written account of how we were jump started into supremacy in the space race more than forty years ago. Just ignore the ... and get this book; it should be a civics textbook that is required reading. Dickson's tale should be a PBS documentary, but don't wait till then.
Lula Srodes
Washington DC
 |
Title: A Thread Across the Ocean : The Heroic Story of the Transatlantic Cable by John Steele Gordon ISBN: 0060524464 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: The Soviet Space Race With Apollo by Asif A. Siddiqi ISBN: 0813026288 Publisher: University Press of Florida Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
 |
Title: Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge by Asif A. Siddiqi ISBN: 081302627X Publisher: University Press of Florida Pub. Date: February, 2003 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
 |
Title: The Heavens and the Earth: A Political History of the Space Age by Walter A. McDougall ISBN: 0801857481 Publisher: Johns Hopkins Univ Pr Pub. Date: October, 1997 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
 |
Title: The Race : The Complete True Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon by James Schefter ISBN: 0385492545 Publisher: Anchor Pub. Date: 05 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
