Of a Fire on the Moon
Encyclopedia
Of a Fire on the Moon is a work of non-fiction by Norman Mailer
which was serialised in Life
magazine in 1969 and 1970, and published in 1970 as a book. It is an intensive documentary and reflection on the Apollo 11 moon landing
from Mailer's distinctive point of view.
and mission control in Houston, and witnessing the launch of the colossal Saturn V
rocket at Cape Kennedy in Florida, Mailer began writing his account of the historic voyage at his home in Provincetown, Massachusetts
during marathon writing sessions to meet his deadlines for the magazine. His epic account, which ran to 115,000 words, was published between August 1969 and January 1970 in three long installments—A Fire on the Moon, The Psychology of Astronauts, and A Dream of the Future's Face.
In a foreword to Mailer's first installment, Life Managing Editor Ralph Graves introduced "some 26,000 words—the longest non-fiction piece Life has ever published in one issue."
The author applied his Harvard aeronautical engineering qualifications to contemplate the radical new machines being born—the moon rocket, the spacecraft, and the computer. As a writer, he meditated morally and philosophically on the relationship of the event to the modern human condition, and the times, by observation of the psychology of astronauts, engineers, NASA bureaucrats—and himself. On February 26, 1970, after the magazine series had concluded, Mailer wrote to Apollo 11 commander, Neil Armstrong
, "I've worked as assiduously as any writer I know to portray the space program in its largest, not its smallest, dimension".
His account was published as a book called Of a Fire on the Moon in 1970. In the UK, it was published with its original article title, A Fire on the Moon.
and Life magazine. This production retitled the work, MoonFire, and was presented in an aluminium box with a lid shaped like the crater-pocked surface of the moon; the object was mounted on four legs resembling lunar module struts. Thus, the coffee table book came inside its own lunar-themed "coffee table", with an uneven surface (see photograph). The package included a numbered print of the famous portrait of Buzz Aldrin
standing on the moon, framed in plexiglass and signed by the astronaut himself—and enclosed a lunar meteorite
. Only 12 were created and the price was $112,500.
Norman Mailer died two years before the package was launched.
Norman Mailer
Norman Kingsley Mailer was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, poet, playwright, screenwriter, and film director.Along with Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Hunter S...
which was serialised in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine in 1969 and 1970, and published in 1970 as a book. It is an intensive documentary and reflection on the Apollo 11 moon landing
Apollo 11
In early 1969, Bill Anders accepted a job with the National Space Council effective in August 1969 and announced his retirement as an astronaut. At that point Ken Mattingly was moved from the support crew into parallel training with Anders as backup Command Module Pilot in case Apollo 11 was...
from Mailer's distinctive point of view.
Writing and publication
After spending time at the space centerLyndon B. Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's center for human spaceflight training, research and flight control. The center consists of a complex of 100 buildings constructed on 1,620 acres in Houston, Texas, USA...
and mission control in Houston, and witnessing the launch of the colossal Saturn V
Saturn V
The Saturn V was an American human-rated expendable rocket used by NASA's Apollo and Skylab programs from 1967 until 1973. A multistage liquid-fueled launch vehicle, NASA launched 13 Saturn Vs from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida with no loss of crew or payload...
rocket at Cape Kennedy in Florida, Mailer began writing his account of the historic voyage at his home in Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
during marathon writing sessions to meet his deadlines for the magazine. His epic account, which ran to 115,000 words, was published between August 1969 and January 1970 in three long installments—A Fire on the Moon, The Psychology of Astronauts, and A Dream of the Future's Face.
In a foreword to Mailer's first installment, Life Managing Editor Ralph Graves introduced "some 26,000 words—the longest non-fiction piece Life has ever published in one issue."
The author applied his Harvard aeronautical engineering qualifications to contemplate the radical new machines being born—the moon rocket, the spacecraft, and the computer. As a writer, he meditated morally and philosophically on the relationship of the event to the modern human condition, and the times, by observation of the psychology of astronauts, engineers, NASA bureaucrats—and himself. On February 26, 1970, after the magazine series had concluded, Mailer wrote to Apollo 11 commander, Neil Armstrong
Neil Armstrong
Neil Alden Armstrong is an American former astronaut, test pilot, aerospace engineer, university professor, United States Naval Aviator, and the first person to set foot upon the Moon....
, "I've worked as assiduously as any writer I know to portray the space program in its largest, not its smallest, dimension".
His account was published as a book called Of a Fire on the Moon in 1970. In the UK, it was published with its original article title, A Fire on the Moon.
$112,500 coffee table edition
The 40th anniversary of the first moon landing was marked in 2009 by the release of an abridged, limited edition of the text, re-packaged with images from NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and Life magazine. This production retitled the work, MoonFire, and was presented in an aluminium box with a lid shaped like the crater-pocked surface of the moon; the object was mounted on four legs resembling lunar module struts. Thus, the coffee table book came inside its own lunar-themed "coffee table", with an uneven surface (see photograph). The package included a numbered print of the famous portrait of Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
standing on the moon, framed in plexiglass and signed by the astronaut himself—and enclosed a lunar meteorite
Lunar meteorite
A Lunar meteorite is a meteorite that is known to have originated on the Moon.-Discovery:In January 1982, John Schutt, leading an expedition in Antarctica for the ANSMET program, found a meteorite that he recognized to be unusual...
. Only 12 were created and the price was $112,500.
Norman Mailer died two years before the package was launched.
Editions and title variations
- Life serializations:
- Part I: A Fire on the Moon — Life magazine, 29 August 1969.
- Part II: The Psychology of Astronauts — Life magazine, 14 November 1969.
- Part III: A Dream of the Future's Face — Life magazine, 9 January 1970.
- Of a Fire on the Moon — Little, Brown & Co, Boston, 1970, ISBN 0316544116.
- A Fire on the Moon — Weidenfeld & NicolsonWeidenfeld & NicolsonWeidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It is a division of the Orion Publishing Group.-History:...
, London, 1970, ISBN 0297179527. - MoonFire: The Epic Journey of Apollo 11 — Taschen GmbHTaschenTaschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...
, Köln, 2009, ISBN 3836511797, ISBN 383652077X.
Resources
- Gallery of Mailer's research materials, hand written notes, and manuscripts for this book. Norman Mailer archive at the University of Texas.