James R. Hansen

La seule biographie autorisée ! Un événement littéraire et cinématographique.Le 21 juillet 1969, 600 millions de personnes à travers le monde retiennent leur souffle quand elles entendent Neil Armstr

From the New York Times bestselling author of The First Man comes a sweeping saga involving two extraordinaryand extraordinarily differentadventurers who have only one thing in common: the ambition to cross the Atlantic in a rowboat . . . alone. In this bracing adventure tale, the stories of John Fairfax and Tom McLean are woven together for the first time. Fairfax would set off from the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa with his sights on Florida. McClean charted a course from Newfoundland to Ireland. The two men couldnt have been more different. John Fairfax was a golden-haired playboy, gambler, whiskey, gun smuggler, and ex-pirate who blamed his boat often, and who brazenly took time off from his goal of reaching America to hop aboard large ships for a drink, a shower, and good food. He courted the press like a modern-day Richard Branson or Elon Musk. The egoless Tom McClean was an orphan with a tough, Dickensian childhood, who ran off to become a British paratrooper and later joined the SAS (his training rivaled the U.S. Navy Seals). Tom was a purist who loved his boat Silver and never once took time off from rowing to sun himself on a remote beach or jump aboard a cruise ship. After 70 days, he landed on the rocky coast of Ireland to no fanfare and headed straight to the nearest pub. Though the two mens remarkable transoceanic journeys seem pulled from a different era, both embarked within days of the first landing on the Moon: July 20th, 1969. Filled with gale-force winds, backbreaking effort, menacing sharks, playful dolphins, awing natural beauty, great mishaps, failed equipment, hyperthermia, near-drowning, the fighting of mental and physical lethargy, creative problem-solving, phantom illusions on the water, and glorious moments of bliss, Completely Mad stands alongside other classics of ocean adventure. With gripping and insightful prose, James R. Hansen brings to life Fairfax and McLeans expeditions, from their battle with the elements to their own inner demons. Completely Mad is a nail-biting, epic tale of endurance, and readers will be gripped until the end to find out who won.

Andare nello spazio oggi non e piu una novita e, anzi, secondo molti presto sara unattivita quasi di routine, destinata non solo a piloti, scienziati e specialisti, ma anche a facoltosi turisti. Ma negli anni 60 la situazione era ben diversa, e non fu per niente facile passare dalle prime capsule sperimentali alle navette spaziali.Tra tutte le persone che finora hanno avuto il privilegio di volare oltre i vincoli terrestri, una delle piu interessanti e senza dubbio lastronauta statunitense John W. Young, entrato a far parte della NASA nel 1962.Da quei primi anni avventurosi, in cui lanciarsi nello spazio a bordo delle capsule Gemini era un grande rischio, per quanto calcolato, Young e passato alle celebri missioni Apollo, circumnavigando la Luna e successivamente facendo escursioni sulla sua superficie, sia a piedi che con il caratteristico rover lunare.In seguito la NASA decise di inaugurare lo Space Shuttle, la celeberrima navetta spaziale, senza compiere preventivamente lanci di prova senza equipaggio. E John W. Young era ai comandi di quel primo Shuttle.Negli anni successivi Young ha continuato a lavorare per la NASA, occupandosi soprattutto di sicurezza degli equipaggi.Questo libro descrive minuziosamente tutto cio che e accaduto a terra e nello spazio durante quarantanni di attivita della NASA, narrato da uno dei protagonisti.Un volume imperdibile per gli appassionati di astronautica, impreziosito da 220 fotografie, molte delle quali inedite e alcune fornite direttamente dalla famiglia del comandante Young, un gran numero di note esplicative (per la maggior parte scritte dallautore), una prefazione dellastronauta Michael Collins, una breve postfazione scritta dalla moglie di Young per ledizione italiana e infine una verifica minuziosa dei numerosi dettagli tecnici effettuata da Paolo Attivissimo, noto giornalista ed esperto di missioni spaziali.

The definitive account of modern golfs foremost architect from the New York Times bestselling author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong Robert Trent Jones was the most prolific and influential golf course architect of the twentieth century and became the archetypical modern golf course designer. Jones spread the gospel of golf by designing courses in forty-two US states and twenty-eight countries. Twenty U.S. Opens, Americas national championship, have been contested on Jones-designed courses. New York Times bestselling biographer James R. Hansen, author of First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, recounts how an English immigrant boy arrived in upstate New York in 1912, just as golf was emerging as a popular pastime in America. Jones excelled as a golfer, earning admission to Cornell University, whose faculty consented to a curriculum tailored to teach him the knowledge needed to design golf courses. Cornell provided the springboard for an act of self-invention that propelled Jones from obscurity to worldwide fame. Jones believed that every hole should be a difficult par but an easy bogey. As gifted as he was at golf design, Jones was equally skilled as a salesman, promoter, and entrepreneur. Golf Digests annual rankings of the 100 Greatest Golf Courses have regularly featured about fifty Jones designs, paving the path for his two sons, Robert Jr., and Rees, whose work would carry on their fathers tradition. Hansen examines Joness legacy in all its complexity and influence, including the fraternal rivalry of Joness distinguished sons.

Now a major motion picture, this is the firstand onlydefinitive authorized account of Neil Armstrong, the man whose one small step changed history.When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moons surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over fifty hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon.In this compelling and nuanced portrait (Chicago Tribune) filled with revelations, Hansen vividly recreates Armstrongs career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative trans-atmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrongs storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children. For the near-fifty years since the Moon landing, rumors have swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life.A penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. First Man burrows deep into Armstrongs past and presentWhat emerges is an earnest and brave man (Houston Chronicle) who will forever be known as historys most famous space traveler.

Soon to be a major motion picture, this is the firstand onlydefinitive authorized account of Neil Armstrong, the man whose one small step changed history.When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moons surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over fifty hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century (Publishers Weekly, starred review) is an unparalleled biography of an American icon. In this compelling and nuanced portrait (Chicago Tribune) filled with revelations, Hansen vividly recreates Armstrongs career in flying, from his seventy-eight combat missions as a naval aviator flying over North Korea to his formative trans-atmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to his piloting Gemini VIII to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrongs storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children. For the near-fifty years since the Moon landing, rumors have swirled around Armstrong concerning his dreams of space travel, his religious beliefs, and his private life. A penetrating exploration of American hero worship, Hansen addresses the complex legacy of the First Man, as an astronaut and as an individual. First Man burrows deep into Armstrongs past and presentWhat emerges is an earnest and brave man (Houston Chronicle) who will forever be known as historys most famous space traveler.

La vida del primer hombre que pisó la Luna y la historia del hito que marcó la humanidad y la carrera espacial. Cuando el Apolo 11 aterrizó en la Luna en 1969, el primer hombre en dejar su huella en la superficie se convirtio en leyenda. Basado en material exclusivo compuesto por mas de cincuenta horas de grabaciones privadas con Neil Armstrong, documentos personales y entrevistas con familiares cercanos, James Hansen logra una magnifica panoramica de la segunda mitad del siglo XX ademas de elaborar una biografia inigualable sobre uno de los protagonistas incontestables de la historia reciente. En una penetrante exploracion del culto al heroe estadounidense, Hansen aborda el complejo legado del Primer Hombre, como astronauta y como individuo. En este libro, la intimidad, la ciencia y la epica se entremezclan para formar el retrato de un heroe rebelde que siempre sera conocido como el viajero espacial mas famoso de la historia.La critica ha dicho...El historiador James Hansen combina habilmente la saga de Armstrong con el trasfondo historico de la introduccion de America a la Era del Espacio. Un libro excelente.Capitan James A. Lovell, comandante del Apolo 13 Esta impresionante biografia,bien documentada y apasionantemente escrita, superara la prueba del inexorable paso del tiempo.Library Journal Una biografia poderosa e implacable de un hombre que es la personificacion de la fuerza de caracter y la determinacion cotidiana [...]. Una lectura obligada para los adoradores del mundo espacial y los lectores de historia por igual.Publishers Weekly

La vida del primer hombre que pisó la Luna y la historia del hito que marcó la humanidad y la carrera espacial.Cuando el Apolo 11 aterrizó en la Luna en 1969, el primer hombre en dejar su huella en la superficie se convirtio en leyenda. Basado en material exclusivo compuesto por mas de cincuenta horas de grabaciones privadas con Neil Armstrong, documentos personales y entrevistas con familiares cercanos, James Hansen logra una magnifica panoramica de la segunda mitad del siglo XX ademas de elaborar una biografia inigualable sobre uno de los protagonistas incontestables de la historia reciente.En una penetrante exploracion del culto al heroe estadounidense, Hansen aborda el complejo legado del Primer Hombre, como astronauta y como individuo. En este libro, la intimidad, la ciencia y la epica se entremezclan para formar el retrato de un heroe rebelde que siempre sera conocido como el viajero espacial mas famoso de la historia.La critica ha dicho...El historiador James Hansen combina habilmente la saga de Armstrong con el trasfondo historico de la introduccion de America a la Era del Espacio. Un libro excelente.Capitan James A. Lovell, comandante del Apolo 13Esta impresionante biografia, bien documentada y apasionantemente escrita, superara la prueba del inexorable paso del tiempo.Library JournalUna biografia poderosa e implacable de un hombre que es la personificacion de la fuerza de caracter y la determinacion cotidiana [...]. Una lectura obligada para los adoradores del mundo espacial y los lectores de historia por igual.Publishers Weekly

La vida del primer hombre que pisó la Luna y la historia del hito que marcó la humanidad y la carrera espacial.Cuando el Apolo 11 aterrizó en la Luna en 1969, el primer hombre en dejar su huella en la superficie se convirtio en leyenda. Basado en material exclusivo compuesto por mas de cincuenta horas de grabaciones privadas con Neil Armstrong, documentos personales y entrevistas con familiares cercanos, James Hansen logra una magnifica panoramica de la segunda mitad del siglo XX ademas de elaborar una biografia inigualable sobre uno de los protagonistas incontestables de la historia reciente.En una penetrante exploracion del culto al heroe estadounidense, Hansen aborda el complejo legado del Primer Hombre, como astronauta y como individuo. En este libro, la intimidad, la ciencia y la epica se entremezclan para formar el retrato de un heroe rebelde que siempre sera conocido como el viajero espacial mas famoso de la historia.La critica ha dicho... El historiador James Hansen combina habilmente la saga de Armstrong con el trasfondo historico de la introduccion de America a la Era del Espacio. Un libro excelente. Capitan James A. Lovell, comandante del Apolo 13Esta impresionante biografia, bien documentada y apasionantemente escrita, superara la prueba del inexorable paso del tiempo.Library JournalUna biografia poderosa e implacable de un hombre que es la personificacion de la fuerza de caracter y la determinacion cotidiana [...]. Una lectura obligada para los adoradores del mundo espacial y los lectores de historia por igual.Publishers Weekly