The Right Stuff

Much of Tom Wolfe's compelling story of the first astronauts--Grissom, Conrad, Glenn, and others--focuses on Chuck Yeager, the brave test pilot who first broke the sound barrier and flew in subspace. While never an astronaut, Yeager epitomized the character and qualities Wolfe saw in the astronauts of the Mercury program.

"I lived at Edwards [Air Force Base] for four years and improbable as some of Tom's tales seem, I know he's telling it like it was.... He's obviously done a lot of homework--too much is some cases.... Some of this stuff could only be interesting to Al Shepard's mother, while the first part of the book is a paean to guts, to the 'right stuff,' it is followed by a chronology--but one that might have profited form a little tighter editing. But it's still light-years ahead of the endless drivel Mailer has put out about the Apollo program and in places the Wolfe genius really shines." - A.W. Taylor (Washington Post Book World)

top military books

Where Men Win Glory - Jon Krakauer +w One of the finest writers of narrative nonfiction tells the story of the most...  read more

2.  His Excellency - Joseph J. Ellis +w 3.  Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler +w 4.  Lone Survivor - Marcus Luttrell +w 5.  Marine Sniper - Charles Henderson +w 6.  Jarhead - Anthony Swofford +w 7.  Parachute Infantry - David Webster +w 8.  Flyboys - James Bradley +w 9.  1001 Nights in Iraq - Shant Kenderian +w 10.  Wild Blue - Stephen E. Ambrose Jr. +w

top aeronautics & astronautics books

Rocket Boys - Homer Hickam +w Following the launching of the Soviet Sputnik, a young boy and his friends...  read more

2.  Finding Your Way Without Map or Compass - Harold Gatty +w 3.  You Wouldn't Want to Be on Apollo 13 - Ian Graham +w 4.  October Sky - Homer Hickam +w 5.  The Glorious Flight - Alice Provensen +w 6.  Wilderness Navigation - Bob Burns +w 7.  Fibre Metal Laminates - Ad Vlot +w 8.  Practical Stress Analysis for Design Engineers - Jean-Claude Flabel +w 9.  Situational Awareness - Paul A. Craig +w 10.  Moondust - Andrew Smith +w