I have seen at auction, Astronaut signed editions of From the Earth to the Moon. It is something that I as a collector have wanted to own.
I assumed that they were quite rare, but after a little research on-line, I have discovered that there are quite a few of them.
This is not to say that they are not RARE, but it does mean that there isn't only 1. More than one person has come up with the idea to get Astronauts to sign the book.
Presented here are the various editions I have found..... Andrew Nash - Editor
What makes this book so fascinating to space historians is the amazing number of similarities between the flight in the book and the eventual moon flights more than a century later. Let's take a look at just some of these:
- The first manned launch to the moon would be accomplished by the United States.
- Three astronauts in the Verne spacecraft just like the Apollo missions.
- A December launch from Florida with a splashdown in the Pacific by parachute, just like Apollo 8.
Apollo 8 was the first mission to circle the moon.
- A controversy between Texas and Florida as to which would be the launch site with Brownsville being one of the finalists both in the book and in NASA's list.
- Apollo 11's Command Module was named Columbia, very similar to the Columbiad of the book.
- The Verne spacecraft used retro-rockets as did the Apollo vessels.
- Verne predicted weightlessness, though he was wrong in that his crew only experienced it at the mid-point of the flight.
- The crew names on Verne's spacecraft were Ardan, Barbicane, and Nicholl, eerily similar to the Apollo 8 crew of Anders, Borman, and Lovell.
- The size, weight, material, and design of the two spacecrafts are quite similar.
- When adjusted for inflation, Verne's mission cost $12 billion. The Apollo program, through Apollo 8, cost $14 billion.
From the Earth to the Moon was mentioned by Neil Armstrong during a television broadcast back to earth from Apollo 11 on July 23, 1969, the day before splashdown:
"A hundred years ago, Jules Verne wrote a book about a voyage to the Moon. His spaceship, Columbia [sic], took off from Florida and landed in the Pacific Ocean after completing a trip to the Moon. It seems appropriate to us to share with you some of the reflections of the crew as the modern-day Columbia completes its rendezvous with the planet Earth and the same Pacific Ocean tomorrow."
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Astronaut Signatures
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours
and Twenty Minutes and a Trip
Around It
1918
Charles Scribner's Sons
New York
Illustrated
with Dustjacket
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11 Astronaut Autographs
At least one member of each Apollo crew is represented as are six moonwalkers.
- Walt Cunningham / Apollo 7
- Frank Borman / Apollo 8 CDR
- Dave Scott / Apollo 9, Apollo 15
- Gene Cernan / Apollo X - XVII
- Buzz Aldrin / Apollo XI
- Alan Bean / Apollo 12
- Fred Haise / Apollo 13 LMP
- Edgar Mitchell / Apollo 14
- Charlie Duke / Apollo 16 LMP
- Al Worden / Apollo 15 CMP
- Richard Gordon / Apollo XII CMP
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct
in 97 Hours 20 Minutes
and a Trip Around It
1875
Sampson Low, Marston, Low, & Searle
London
Fourth Edition
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10 Astronaut Autographs
Signed on the front pastedown and first free end page, both neatly tipped-in, in black felt tip by ten Apollo astronauts
- Walt Cunningham /
Apollo 7
- Frank Borman /
Apollo 8 CDR
- Jim McDivitt /
Apollo 9 CDR
- Buzz Aldrin /
Apollo XI LMP
- Alan Bean /
Apollo 12 LMP
- James Lovell /
Apollo 8, 13 CDR
- Fred Haise /
Apollo 13 LMP
- Dave Scott /
Apollo 15 CDR
Apollo 9 CMP
- Charlie Duke /
Apollo 16 LMP
- Gene Cernan /
Apollo X–LMP
Apollo XVII–CDR
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours
and Twenty Minutes and a Trip
Around It
1922
Charles Scribner's Sons
New York
Illustrated
323 pages
octavo
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10 Astronauts Autographs
Signed on the half-title and preceding page by ten astronauts, eight of whom actually made the amazing journey described in the book at least once.
At least one member of each Apollo crew is represented as are six moonwalkers:
- Walt Cunningham / Apollo 7
- Dave Scott / Apollo 9 CMP, Apollo 15 CDR
- Buzz Aldrin / Apollo XI
- Alan Bean / Apollo 12 LMP
- James Lovell / Apollo 8 CMP / Apollo 13 CDR
- Jim McDivitt / Apollo 9 CDR
- Edgar Mitchell / Apollo 14 LMP
- Al Worden / Apollo 15 CMP
- Charlie Duke / Apollo 16 LMP
- Gene Cernan / Apollo X - LMP / Apollo XVII - CDR
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours
and Twenty Minutes and a Trip
Around It
1922
Charles Scribner's Sons
New York
Illustrated
323 pages
octavo
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10 Astronauts Autographs
Signed on the fly leaf and half-title by ten astronauts,
- Walt Cunningham / Apollo 7
- Frank Borman /
Apollo 8 CDR
- Dave Scott / Apollo 9 CMP, Apollo 15 CDR
- Tom Stafford /
Apollo X CDR, ASTP CDR
- Buzz Aldrin / Apollo XI LMP
- Jim McDivitt / Apollo 9 CDR
- James Lovell / Apollo 8 CMP / Apollo 13 CDR
- Al Worden / Apollo 15 CMP
- Charlie Duke / Apollo 16 LMP
- Michael Collins / Apollo XI CMP
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours
and Twenty Minutes and a Trip
Around It
1918
Charles Scribner's Sons
New York
Illustrated
323 pages
octavo
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9 Astronaut Autographs
Signed on the half-title and preceding page by nine astronauts, seven of whom actually made the amazing journey described in the book at least once
At least one member of each Apollo crew is represented as are six moonwalkers:
- Buzz Aldrin / Apollo XI
- Alan Bean / Apollo XII LMP
- Edgar Mitchell / Apollo 14 LMP
- Dave Scott / Apollo 15 CDR
- Charlie Duke / Apollo 16 LMP
- James Lovell / Apollo 8, 13 CDR
- Jim McDivitt / Apollo 9 CDR
- Gene Cernan / Apollo XVII - CDR / *Last Man on the Moon
- Walt Cunningham / Apollo 7 / First Apollo Mission
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Currently on sale at Heritage Auctions (May 9-11, 2019)
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct in 97 Hours 20 Minutes
and a Trip Round It
1896
Sampson Low, Marston & Company
St Dunstan's House
Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.
London
Tenth Edition
323 pages
Currently on sale at Heritage Auctions (May 9-11, 2019)
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8 Astronaut Autographs signed on the half-title and preceding page by eight astronauts
- Tom Stafford /
Apollo X Cdr
- Alan Bean /
Apollo XII LMP
- Frank Borman /
Apollo 8 CDR
- James Lovell /
Apollo 8, 13 CDR
- Michael Collins /
Apollo XI CMP
- Al Worden /
Apollo 15 CMP
- Rusty Schweickart /
Apollo 9 LMP
- Charlie Duke /
Apollo 16 LMP
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From the Earth to the Moon
Direct in 97 Hours 20 Minutes
and a Trip Round It
nd
Sampson Low, Marston & Company
St Dunstan's House
Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C.
London
with numerous ilustrations
323 pages
eleventh edition
Translated from the French
by Louis Mercier, M.A. (Oxon.)
and Eleanor E. King
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6 Astronaut Autographs
Signed on neatly tipped-in endpapers in black felt tip by six Apollo astronauts
- Walt Cunningham / Apollo 7 LMP
- Fred Haise / Apollo 13 LMP
- Michael Collins / Apollo XI CMP
- Al Worden / Apollo 15 CMP
- Dave Scott / Apollo 9 CMP, Apollo 15 CDR
- Charlie Duke / Apollo 16 LMP
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Autour de la Lune
nd
J Hetzel et Cie
Paris
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25 Autographs
from the History of Space Flight:
- Wernher von Braun
German Engineer,
Saturn V
- Bill Anders / Apollo 8
- Tom Stafford / Apollo 5 CMD
- ...
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TINTIN N°16
Objectif Lune
1953
Casterman
Dos rouge
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5 Astronaut Autographs
Exceptional Book signed and dedicated by the author and the following astronauts:
- Dédicace de Hergé à son ami Ghion. Henri Ghion, (dit Geri) est un dessinateur Belge, collaborateur de Hergé, qui fut engagé aux Studios Hergé en 1953
- Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11, Pilote du module lunaire "Eagle" et deuxième homme à avoir marché sur la Lune : "First moonwalker after Tintin"
- Alan Bean, Apollo 12, Pilote du module Lunaire, deuxième engin habité à avoir atterri sur la lune : "I might see footprints of Neil and Buzz but I am not sure about Tintin's"
- James Lovell, Apollo 13, Pilote du module lunaire, mission avortée vers la lune (appelés " les naufragés de l'espace ") : "Houston, we've dad a problem like Tintin"
- Al Worden, Apollo 15, Pilote du module de commande: "When returning from the moon, I took the farthest out space walk!! including Tintin's"
- Charlie Duke, Apollo 16, Pilote du module lunaire: "The youngest man after Tintin to explore the moon"
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