From the Earth to the Moon: Direct in 97 Hours 20 Minutes: and a Trip Round It.

Later edition of Verne's classic novel. Octavo, original publisher's orange cloth decorated in gilt, tissue-guarded frontispiece, illustrated with twelve black-and-white plates inserted throughout. Boldly signed on the half-title page and facing page in black felt tip by three Apollo astronauts and two members of the support staff: "Frank Borman Apollo 8 CDR"; "Dee O'Hara Astronaut Nurse"; "Walt Cunningham Apollo 7 LMP"; "Charlie Duke Apollo 16 LMP"; "Gerry Griffin Apollo Flight Director Mission Control." Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon exhibits striking parallels to the real-life Apollo program, particularly Apollo 8, the first U.S. manned mission to orbit the Moon. Like Verne's fictional launch, the actual mission was carried out by a three-man crew, launched from Florida—a location chosen after the dismissal of Brownsville, Texas, much like the novel’s own geographic deliberations. Apollo 8 lifted off in December and concluded with a splashdown and recovery in the Pacific Ocean, mirroring Verne’s imaginative depiction of a lunar voyage that anticipated many of the mission’s logistical realities. In very good condition. A unique piece of aeronautical history.