This book is apparently much sought-after by space junkies. It doesn't deserve the reputation. It is a collection of interviews with 11 of the 12 moonwalkers. Not surprisingly, Neil Armstrong declined to be interviewed for the book. But the authors nevertheless decided to include a compilation of "statements he has made over the years which are a matter of public record." So rather than simply admit they they have nothing to add, they rehash previously available material. What's the point? Presumably the point is to pretend that they have a "complete" collection of interviews from every moonwalker.

The interviews are uneven and scattered -- bouncing from topic to topic without any apparent plan. One of my major gripes about the interviews, is that rather than sticking with topics that rely on the unique competencies and experiences of the participants, they keep ranging into questions about the Challenger incident, the politics of space flight, and the Soviet space program.

The authors also are completely uncritical in deciding what to include -- they apparently used the complete interviews, unedited, including threads that end up going nowhere.

The production values for the book are surprisingly poor. The paper is of very low quality -- not at all what one would expect from a hardbound book. This poor paper detracts greatly from the quality of the b&w photos. While a signature of coated paper is included for the color illustrations, even this is of low quality. The illustrations themselves (a selection of paintings by Alan Bean) are very poorly reproduced, with utterly wretched color correction. Indeed, you don't even have to open the book to get an idea of the production values: on the front is a cut-and-paste photo from the lunar surface, showing an outrageously oversized earth; amidst the copy on the back cover is a list of the astronauts interviewed, among them "David Schott" [sic].

Simply put, this is a book for completists. ( )