Starman (Paperback)

Jamie Doran (author), Piers Bizony (author)

£10.99

Paperback 256 Pages / Published: 04/04/2011

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Synopsis

On April 12 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to leave the Earth's atmosphere and venture into space. An icon of the 20th century, he also became a danger to himself and a threat to the Soviet state. At the age of 34, he was killed in a plane crash. Based on KGB files, restricted documents from Russian space authorities, and interviews with his friends and colleagues, this biography of the Russian cosmonaut reveals a man in turmoil: torn apart by powerful political pressures, fighting a losing battle against alcoholism and rebelling against the cruelties of a corrupt totalitarian regime. 2011 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Gagarin's flight. This new edition of Starman includes a new afterword that celebrates the importance of that momentous expedition and reflects on Gagarin's legacy.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781408815540
Number of pages: 256
Weight: 220 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 18 mm

MEDIA REVIEWS

'Starman takes us breakneck speed through Gagarin's strange trajectory...Without books like these to shelter it, history is eroded by propaganda and real heroes fall victim to spin' * New Scientist *
'A riveting account of Gagarin's life ... Starman brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the time' * European *
'Starman skilfully achieves two distinct objectives: The uncovering of much of the mystery around one of mankind's finest periods, and a full and respectful acknowledgement that its many great heroes, both sung and unsung, were, first and foremost, human beings' * Moscow Times *
'Starman was worth writing and is definitely worth reading' * Daily Telegraph *