Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin

The excellent & compelling human side of the story of getting to the Moon. Covers the Mercury flights through to every Apollo in incredible detail.

This is the book that the hit HBO TV series 'From the Earth to the Moon' was based on.

Rocket Boys / October Sky - Homer Hickham

In his own words this is Homer Hickhams story of amateur rocket building inspired by Sputnik. A story of determination and belief again all the odds that shows that pretty much anything is possible if you try hard enough.

This is the book that the film 'October Sky' was based on.

The Race - James Schefter

Covers the period from the Cold war to the point where the race was won. Describes the successes and failures of both countries from a human point of view.

Space - Andrew Chaikin

One of the first 'space books' I bought, its absolutely crammed with loads of the best images and snippets of information explaining each photo too.

Apollo 13 - Jim Lovell

The story of the 'successful failure' that the film was based on.

Failure is Not an Option - Gene Krantz

The most famous of the Apollo Flight Directors. As suggested by the title of the book, Gene Krantz was the guy who coined the phrase 'Failure is not an option' when trying to rescue the Apollo 13 mission.

Flight: My Life in Mission Control - Chis Kraft

One of the top men in NASA during the Moon landings, this is Chris Kraft's story of how they did it.

Last Man on the Moon - Gene Cernan

Gene Cernan's biography, a great read.

Deke! - Deke Slayton with Michael Cassutt

Autobiography of Deke Slayton, from childhood & Mercury days through to Skylab.

The Man Who Ran the Moon - Piers Bizony

A good insight into the top level political movements by the then NASA Administrator James Webb that enabled the journey from the Earth to the Moon to take place.

Carrying the Fire - Michael Colins

A very detailed and personal account of Gemini & Apollo 11 exploits from the man who Neil & Buzz left in orbit whilst they walked on the Moon. One of the better Apollo astronaut biographies.

Waystation to the Stars - Colin Foale

Written by British Astronaut Michael Foales' father this is the story of Michael Foale. On pages 60 & 61 he talks about thier time at the Wakulla Hotel on Cocoa Beach, where we stayed when visiting Kennedy Space Centre.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Space - Fernand Verger et al

Very detailed information on spaceflight technical aspects worldwide presented very in a colourful and easy to digest manner

NASA Mission Reports

A series of books covering technical aspects of every Mercury, Gemini & Apollo flight plus some Shuttle flights and other areas of spaceflight. Pretty much 1 book per flight they usually include a CDR or DVD stacked with material. For the serious space geek!