A Philosophical Launch: Of a Fire on the Moon Ignites into MoonFire

In 1969, Life magazine chose Norman Mailer to cover the moonshot in a series of three installments which became the longest serialized feature ever to appear in the publication. Compiled into one volume in 1970, Of A Fire on the Moon was called the Moby-Dick of its time. In 2009, to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, Of A Fire on the Moon was reimagined by Lawrence Schiller and Benedikt Taschen, and published by Taschen Books as MoonFire. Abridged by J. Michael Lennon and illustrated with iconic images from the Life and NASA archives, the book recaptures the global impact of man’s first steps on the moon and the resonance of Mailer’s coverage of the event.