Just noticed on the U.S. Amazon.com website that Philip Stooke's soon-to-be-published book is now available for pre-order, with a release date of December 31, 2007:

The International Atlas of Lunar Exploration (400 pages, Cambridge University Press)

Book Description: Bringing together a wealth of information from many sources, including some material never before published, this atlas is a comprehensive reference on lunar exploration. It tells the story of every spacecraft mission to the moon since the dawn of the space age, illustrating each account with a unique combination of maps and annotated photographs. Many of the illustrations were created especially for this atlas, including panoramic photographs from every lunar mission. The missions are listed in chronological order, providing readers with an easy to follow history of lunar missions. Special attention has been given to describing the processes involoved in choosing landing sites for Apollo and its precursors. The atlas also includes missions that were planned but never flown, before looking ahead to future missions as the world's space agencies prepare for a new phase of lunar exploration.

The price is sufficiently hefty that I'm convinced each copy comes with a genuine moon rock.
Actually, this appears to be something really special compared to other books on the subject.

If Dr. Stooke is reading this, I have a question. It looks like this may be an oversized book. Do you know the dimensions?

Noticed it was from the Cambridge U. Press... it's merely 95 pounds on amazon.co.uk. Cursed weak dollar.

I *love* atlases.

Ooh...Cambridge University Press? That means I should get my very own copy, um I mean review copy, for free -- except that I'll have to fight my editor for it...

Guess that means I'd better write a review though!

--Emily

Hopefully Phil will be out on the West Coast sometime where I can get my copy signed. Phil? I'll buy a second copy for my kids' school library if you come visit us. I'll even drive to LA or San Francisco.

This will definitely look nice in my library !

As the President of the International Philip Stooke Fanclub, can I be expecting a free copy Phil?

seems a pretty essential book to me, especially since I wasn't born yet when most of that stuff was taken I guess I have to start saving up...

I'll surely (invo)loved to have Phil's book.
I'm glad this one is finished up! Phyl can now fully concentrate on "Atlas of Mars Exploration"

from the CUP website:

Size: 276 x 219 mm

Yargh! That thing costs an arm and a leg! I don't have either that I can afford spare, so I think I'll wait until either the price comes down, or I grow extra appendages. Unless I can convince my parents to buy it for me...

um3k, keep an eye on the used-book market (e. g. bookfinder.com). Often review copies become available quite quickly.

tty

Amazon has it for $175 US....

For just under double that I could fly Phil out from Ontario to San Diego to sign it....!

People of Earth, I'm back from my vacation in the UK... to be greeted by this. Well, yes, it's expensive, but don't worry. In just a few weeks it will be in the discount bin.

I put a bit more about it here:

http://publish.uwo.ca/~pjstooke/atlas.htm

I am spending this year on a high resolution photomosaic of Eros. But I have three other projects gradually building up:

1. Atlas of Venus and Mercury exploration - expected about 2010
2. Atlas of Mars exploration - expected about 2014
3. moon vol. 2 - about 2018

Phil

Congratulations on a fine achievement Phil. I know what a buzz (and relief!) it is to finally see a book you've been working on for ages sitting on the shelves.

Hope you enjoyed your hol over here in the UK.

Phil -

Please do not misconstrue the paucity of my pocketbook as reflecting the depth of my desire... Kudos to you for creating and releasing such a feast of imagery and information!

Though I am curious as to the December 31st release date.... is that a common publishing day?

And are you planning to come to the west coast? Mebbe ElkGroveDan and I can coordinate a California signing tour....

I think Dec. 31 is just a placeholder while we wait for a spcific day. Actually, Cambridge and I planned years ago for Oct. 4, but we might be a bit late. November, maybe.

Phil

Interesting - I thought it may have been the publishing equivalent of a movie being released in December to make the Academy Awards for that year.

And thanks for the teaser link - great maps and illustrations. But one question - why did you make all the craters look like domes?

That Lunakhod map makes me yearn for another lunar rover program.

Phil Stooke's California book signing agenda

Mon: Fly to San Diego
Tues: Drive to Carlsbad, sign Lyford's book
Wed: Eight hour drive to Sacramento
Thurs: Sign Elk Grove Dan's book
Fri: Fly back to Toronto (or Detroit, your preference. If you choose Detroit we'll include the afternoon bus tour of the city)

I'm far too busy for a stupid trip like that. I'll sign Lyford's, fly home to catch up on my email, then come down again for Elk Grove's.

Phil

With regards to the difficulties posed by the logistics of getting so many books signed in so many parts of the globe, I think I have a cunning plan that could prove to be a viable solution.

"What?" I hear you ask. "Is it as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University?"

Well, possibly.

How about Phil buys a pack of 'sticky labels', one of which he could sign every time someone here on UMSF wants a genuine Stooke signature in his or her copy of the atlas (all for a small fee, of course). Upon receipt of the signed label, they could stick it inside the book (or even on a body part of their own choosing).

This cunning scheme would save the ridiculous amount of money invested in sending such a hefty tome back and forth through the post.

Any thoughts, Phil?

I preferred the idea of me being flown around the world to sign one book at a time. However, in the interests of reducing my carbon footprint, let me offer this special UMSF service:

Send me an adhesive label and a return-addressed envelope, and I'll return it signed.

Phil

c/o Department of Geography,
University of Western Ontario,
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5C2

Maybe you should make them send you the receipt, so you know they actually bought it and aren't just autograph-hounding you! Or better yet, a picture of themselves holding the book...

A little update...

Well, when I wrote this blasted tome I really crammed stuff in. I was given 400 pages (supposed to be a very strict limit), but I stuffed them to bursting point. Cambridge, bless their little cotton socks, could have told me to cut it, but they didn't, they have increased it to 440 pages so I can get everything in.

Right now I have the page proofs. Apart from looking for errors the main job is getting the hundreds of cross-references ('see page 305' etc.) set up properly. The pagination has changed so my original entries were printed as 'page XXX', and I have to add the correct number.

But in the process a problem arises. I have double-page spreads of panoramas for every landed mission with images. In my original pagination they are, indeed, double page spreads. But now I find 5 of them have become back-to-back pages. So I'm rearranging pages to fix that.

This publishing business is very interesting!

Phil

Thanks Phil, signing those labels will be greatly appreciated!

Will the expansion of the book from 400 to 440 pages change the price from $175? Gotta start saving my pennies now.

"Will the expansion of the book from 400 to 440 pages change the price from $175? "

As far as I know that expansion was already taken into account.

Phil

A must-have !!!

I've just sent in the last corrections. The book is supposed to be ready on 1st November, according to the Production Editor. At last! Now I can start work on the next one...

(PS don't blame me for the thread title!)

(new edit... Humble... yes, that's better)

Phil

Rats, it's just under CUP's regular imprint. If it was part of the Planetary Sciences Series
I'd score a free copy too as a member of the editorial board....

oh the injustice.

C'mon you cheapskates. Phil doesn't get any royalties from the free copies. Buy one for yourself and one for a school library. If money is tight just skip food and alcohol for a few weeks.

[EDIT] ....on second thought that's a bit of an unreasonable sacrifice to ask of anyone, so just skip the food.

I was going to say "pay til your pockets bleed, you *&&^*%^" - but it sounds better coming from you! Anyway, how am I going to support my lavish lifestyle?

Phil

Well, I'm gonna have to crack open the swear jar...but gotta swear a bit more first! Probably be able to swing it after Sept. 10th...

Anyway, don't worry, people... in a few weeks it will be on the discount table.

Phil

Yep. We would loose most of the insight and clairvoyance of this forum without alcohol

Aw, man...don't say that!!! You know that this work, this treasure you've produced, will at the VERY least inspire a school kid or two to look up, and out...even that minute fraction of what your book will do certainly justifies evey damn second of the hard work you put into it.

The first person to set foot on Mars may well be initially inspired by you; sure it's a crapshoot, but it's the best gamble I've ever heard of.

In so many words...you done good! My deepest congratulations, sir, and I hope that many other books will come; your work is honorable and important.

Well, as they say in the classics (the Carry-On classics, that is) - "Stop muckin' about!"

Anyway, I'm now moving out into the rest of the inner solar system.

Phil

Phil, especially this sentence fueled my curiosity: The atlas also includes missions that were planned but never flown, before looking ahead to future missions as the world's space agencies prepare for a new phase of lunar exploration.
Amazon still lists the book 'Not yet published'...
Two questions;
1. What is the size of the book?
2. When will it be available?

Thanks,
The other Phill

Cambridge says November 1st in Europe, December 1st in North America (sorry) and February 2008 in Australia and maybe Asia (I forget the details).

The book is not an oversized atlas, it's A4 size, 440 pages (Cambridge has not updated their description of it to reflect that change from 400).

Phil

Thanks for the update, I'll be the first to get a copie

That bit about missions planned but never flown includes things like the Falmouth and Santa Cruz plans for lunar exploration, many plans for activities at sites Apollo didn't visit such as the Marius hills, and things like the Euromoon proposed landing sites, Lunar-A targets, Lunacorp and Applied Space Resources sites, and proposed lunar base and observatory sites.

Phil

I'm very much looking forward to and it will certainly buy this treasure, despite the hefty £ $ Euro Yen etc

Publisher CUP has finally put indicative prices on the web site

Cambridge UP Phil's Book

Kenny

"The book is not an oversized atlas, it's A4 size, 440 pages (Cambridge has not updated their description of it to reflect that change from 400).

Phil "

464 pages - I forgot about the intro section.

PS you want it cheaper - there's talk of a paperback edition.

Phil

Such a book is worth every penny

Cambridge UP has put back the European launch date into December

Phil's Moon Book CUP

Well I want a hardcover and ordered mine on Amazon.co.uk in order to get it under the christmas tree

Dear Humble Author,

I look forward to reading and owning not only thisone, but the complete Philip Stooke Series.

Why not I just send you the $200 and you sign it and mail the book to me?

You do get a decent discount on your own book, right?

signed
Gentle Reader (PDP8e!)

Hi, PDP8E - I'm sorry, but I really don't have the time to get into being a distributor for my book! I'm too busy working on the next one.

(oh - and my new Eros photomosaic).

Phil

Well, people, after all this time, I finally got my first copy of my book yesterday. As you might expect, the first thing I noticed was a typo! (capitalization in a figure caption). Oh well...

Phil

Are you happy with the way it's come out generaly though - the quality of the figures etc?

Doug

Yes, it looks great. The only issue I have a concern arises from a redistribution of figures relative to the text, from my original layout plan.

To explain, I should say Cambridge gave me 400 pages in the original contract. And I gave them 400 pages of text and illustrations. But I really crammed it in. They could have told me to trim it, but instead they opted to increase the number of pages so nothing was lost. That was very good of them, but it did involve some rearrangement.

My original layout had each mission or event treated like an encyclopedia article - a heading (date, mission name, country), and then all the text and illustrations. The next one didn't start until all the text and illustrations for the last one were finished. Result - the illustrations were right next to the relevant text. In the redesign, some illustrations are separated from the text they refer to (obviously still in order, but not right there). It's still good but a little more of a hassle when trying to refer back and forth between text and illustrations.

Anyway, it's very satisfying to hold a finished book in your hand for the first time.

Some UMSF colleagues get an acknowledgement for their advice over the last few years.

Phil