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Carrying the Fire Paperback – April 16, 2019

by Michael Collins (Author)

4.7 1,652 ratings

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Reissued with a new preface by the author on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 journey to the moon

The years that have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon in July 1969 have done nothing to alter the fundamental wonder of the event: man reaching the moon remains one of the great events―technical and spiritual―of our lifetime.

In Carrying the Fire, Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of that adventure. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the Air Force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 space walk, presenting an evocative picture of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile earth from the other side of the moon.

Print length

560 pages
Language

English
Publication date

April 16, 2019
Dimensions

5.23 x 1.45 x 8.31 inches
ISBN-10

0374537763
ISBN-13

978-0374537760
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Popular Highlights in this book

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We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.
Highlighted by 181 Kindle readers
Intellectual fear is an armchair admission of the frailty of human life, while emotional fear is a viscera-gripping, panic-inducing reaction of the brain and body.
Highlighted by 165 Kindle readers
“We need a new economic paradigm to produce prosperity without growth.”
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Collins tells what his space journeys meant to him as a human being [and] discusses the role of man amid the multitudinous mechanical marvels . . . Profoundly affecting.” ―The New Yorker

“Michael Collins can write . . . No other person who has flown in space has captured the experience so vividly.” ―Henry S.F. Cooper, Jr., The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Michael Collins (1930-2021) was an astronaut, one of 24 who have flown to the moon. A West Point graduate, he was an Air Force jet-fighter pilot and a test-pilot before being recruited by NASA in 1963 as a member of the third astronaut group selected for the Apollo moon project. Lieutenant Colonel Collins flew in the Gemini 10 space mission, orbiting the earth forty-three times in 1966, and piloted the Apollo 11 module for the 1969 lunar mission which put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon’s surface.

After NASA, Collins became director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, then under secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and vice president of the LTV Aerospace and Defense Company. He held the rank of major general when he retired from the Air Force Reserve.

Collins recounted his experiences as an astronaut in the memoirs Carrying the Fire and Flying to the Moon.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar Straus & Giroux; Anniversary edition (April 16, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374537763
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374537760
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.23 x 1.45 x 8.31 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #96,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #75 in Aeronautics & Astronautics (Books)
- #138 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)
- #222 in Scientist Biographies

Customer Reviews:
4.7 1,652 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

1,652 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers find the book a great read with insightful, personable writing. They also appreciate the straightforward prose and frank humor. Readers describe the book as captivating throughout with thoughtful, clever, humble, and insightful writing.

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Reading experience Comprehensiveness Writing style Humor Characters

93 customers mention "Reading experience"93 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great read with long chapters that introduce nuance. They also appreciate the author's humor, eloquence, and delightful footnotes.

"This was one of the best books I have read; maybe among the top 10...." Read more

"...this fine book, I was happy to discover that Michael Collins is a likeable guide and knows how to communicate...." Read more

"...all turned out, this is still a suspenseful, thrilling and thoroughly engrossing read." Read more

"A long read but well worth it. Collins highlights his entire career at nasa...." Read more

78 customers mention "Comprehensiveness"78 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, relatable, and a very good personal history of manned space exploration. They appreciate the detailed descriptions and the expert detail on the complexity of space travel. Readers also mention the book is honest and personable.

"...I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading an honest and self-deprecating description of what it was really like to be an..." Read more

"Very informative. Lots of insights into the early NASA days...." Read more

"Michael Collins’s Carrying the Fire provides a detailed, vividly written memoir of the Mercury and Apollo flights from an astronaut who was on board..." Read more

"...has written the most complete, understandable and descriptive book on the American space program during the 1960’s...." Read more

54 customers mention "Writing style"54 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style straightforward, wonderful, and detailed. They also say the author has a tremendous vocabulary and yet writes in a simple style. Customers also say it's approachable, thoughtful, clever, and low-key.

"...What a find! Michael Collins possessed an engaging, witty, erudite writing style. His powers of observation and explanation were amazing...." Read more

"...But no- he writes it with humility, a touch of humor as to how the astronauts kept things light and so detailed in the NASA moon project that you..." Read more

"...His prose is straightforward, he gets to the point, and is willing to say things about fellow astronauts that were a bit more direct and..." Read more

"...It’s amazing that he writes so well for an engineer and a test pilot- this book is hard to put down even though anyone who grew up during this era..." Read more

48 customers mention "Humor"48 positive0 negative

Customers find the humor in the book frank and captivating throughout. They also say the book is poetic and written in a conversational style.

"...What a find! Michael Collins possessed an engaging, witty, erudite writing style. His powers of observation and explanation were amazing...." Read more

"...It is so captivating that I had a hard time pausing, and would resume reading again as soon as I could...." Read more

"...Even though you know how it all turned out, this is still a suspenseful, thrilling and thoroughly engrossing read." Read more

"...With his frank and humorous style Collins never fishes for complements but shows that people have abilities and talents yet untapped; that those of..." Read more

7 customers mention "Characters"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters likable, courageous, and passionate. They also say the author effectively conveys the emotional component of his travels and flights.

"...There is no self-serving bravado of any kind which you might expect from such an accomplished person...." Read more

"...These were intelligent, hard-working, and passionate guys, but with flaws and oddities like everyone else. Highly recommended." Read more

"...trips for granted but they are nothing less than extraordinary and courageous." Read more

"...technical details for nerds like me, but he also effectively conveys the emotional component of his travels and flights...." Read more

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Jeff Kaminski

Fabulous read

Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2023

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I recently returned to reading more about the NASA space program. I found this book on Amazon and, based on the reviews, decided to give it a try. What a find! Michael Collins possessed an engaging, witty, erudite writing style. His powers of observation and explanation were amazing. Once I began reading the book, I could not put it down. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading an honest and self-deprecating description of what it was really like to be an astronaut. Amazingly well done.

4 people found this helpful

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dandeg

Good read

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2024

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Very informative. Lots of insights into the early NASA days. Micheal Collins approaches the dangers of being an astronaut with a combination of emphasizing the serious nature of space travel & exploration along with some occasional humor.

Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2020

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This was one of the best books I have read; maybe among the top 10. I read a book a week and have for 50 years so I know a good book when I read it This one is fabulous if you're at all interested in the US's moon project in the 1960s
It is written by an astronaut and he wrote it himself. There is no self-serving bravado of any kind which you might expect from such an accomplished person. But no- he writes it with humility, a touch of humor as to how the astronauts kept things light and so detailed in the NASA moon project that you feel like you're almost there with him. No other book has explained the personal experiences of such an outstanding program as this one. It is so captivating that I had a hard time pausing, and would resume reading again as soon as I could.
If you want to literally hear from the man that commanded the lunar module in orbit as Neil and Buzz descended to the moon and returned to the command model in orbit, this is the best way to do it.
Don't hesitate to buy this book. It will open your eyes to most of the Mercurey, Gemini and Apollo stage details you never heard about from a man who did it. He was there. He wrote it himself. One of man's most amazing achievements and this book gives you a front row seat.

2 people found this helpful

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Reid P.

Well-written account of the Apollo era that stands up well after almost 50 years.

Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019

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Within a few minutes of beginning this fine book, I was happy to discover that Michael Collins is a likeable guide and knows how to communicate. His prose is straightforward, he gets to the point, and is willing to say things about fellow astronauts that were a bit more direct and unvarnished than one might have expected. For example, he states that he liked Neil Armstrong, but also talks a bit about his distance and how he never met anybody halfway. His discussion of Buzz Aldrin was a bit harsher, even as he fairly recognized some of the problems that he had to deal with. And those aren’t the only two of his colleagues he discusses in a frank way. To be sure, some of his references to women are cringeworthy in today’s era, but those are, fortunately, relatively few and far between and not exactly surprising from one who came of age as a fighter pilot in the late 1950s and was writing in the early 1970s. Those reviewers who have suggested that it is one of the best astronaut-written books about what it was like to be an astronaut in that era will find no disagreement here, and the discussion of what it was like to be on Apollo 11 was most interesting. This is an enjoyable read, well worth one’s time.

3 people found this helpful

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Mike Cohn

Fascinating account of the Apollo 11 moon landing

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2021

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Michael Collins’s Carrying the Fire provides a detailed, vividly written memoir of the Mercury and Apollo flights from an astronaut who was on board the Apollo 11 flight that was the first to land on the moon. Collins has a wonderful way of describing the moon mission, its technical details and the experience of space flight that never bores you and helps you learn some of the intricacies and difficulties that the astronauts, scientists and engineers at NASA had to overcome. You feel almost like you’re along for the ride at times. The late Mr. Collins also has an engaging sense of humor that keeps this entertaining and enthralling. And he doesn’t leave out the personal details, including his relationships with his family, NASA officials and his fellow astronauts, including Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. While he did not set foot on the moon himself, he made sure that Armstrong and Aldrin would arrive home safely by piloting the command module expertly. Even though you know how it all turned out, this is still a suspenseful, thrilling and thoroughly engrossing read.

2 people found this helpful

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JChamberlain

All around best volume on American space program in 1960’s

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021

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Mr. Collins (although a Brigadier General) has written the most complete, understandable and descriptive book on the American space program during the 1960’s. As he states in plain honest terms, the book is largely biographical by necessity- but his story is one that brings you into the high pressure, hard working, very competitive environment that was the life of astronaut candidates during this time. Mr. Collins readily admits working hard, but that he was nothing special compared to others in the program. He just was lucky and able to follow the changes as they happened and made the best of the outcomes. It’s amazing that he writes so well for an engineer and a test pilot- this book is hard to put down even though anyone who grew up during this era knows the ending. He describes the close knit astronaut group and their families and tries to give a fair assessment of his abilities and foibles along with his descriptions of others in the program.
The book explains why things were done the way they were and how one decision or physical condition set a cascade of others into motion which eventually resulted in the triumph of July 20, 1969.
You will not be disappointed with this book- keep in mind it was written in the early 1970’s but it’s amazing how well many of the themes still apply in 2021.

3 people found this helpful

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Mitchell Bunting

Very Good

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2024

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A long read but well worth it. Collins highlights his entire career at nasa. Not only talking about flying, but everything he did on the ground and a lot of uncommon knowledge.

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Grant Patterson

The Original Astronaut Memoir

Reviewed in Canada on December 6, 2023

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The first men to go into space were not, generally, an introspective bunch. Those who did choose artistic expression to convey their experience often chose means other than writing, such as the painters Alexei Leonov and Alan Bean. Therefore, the inclusion of USAF Col Mike Collins in the third NASA astronaut class was a fortunate happening. This witty chronicler and keen observer of his surroundings has provided us with a unique historical memento of a momentous human undertaking.

Collins, though a talented test pilot, stood somewhat apart from his fellows. He hints that he did enjoy the perks, financial and otherwise (read: women) of being an American hero, but one gets the sense that he had a deeper appreciation of life than some of his more gonzo colleagues. His appreciation of art, history, and cuisine, I suspect, were rather more advanced than his other Corvette-driving flight mates. Though a keen engineer, he viewed his involvement on the historic Apollo 11 mission through a wider lens than his technically-focused, almost obsessive crew mates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

That's a good thing, because in the centre seat of Columbia sat a man uniquely equipped to convey both the personal and historical perspectives on man's greatest journey. No other astronaut, with the possible exception of Chris Hadfield, has ever communicated the experience of space flight and the voyage's personal costs. Carrying the Fire is a warm, humorous, and comprehensive account of 1960's space flight, and a model for the honest chronicler.

B. ERIC

Collins est exceptionnel

Reviewed in France on November 25, 2023

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Un livre (uniquement en Anglais mais facile à lire) qui permet de vivre de l'intérieur le quotidien des hommes sélectionnés pour le voyage jusqu'à la Lune promis par Kennedy. Collins écrit avec simplicité et humour ces moments uniques et milles anecdotes et détails. Il devient un ami au fil des pages et on comprend qu'il a accompli le même exploit que ses camarades Armstrong et Aldrin.

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jSmith

Buen libro de aventuras en primera persona

Reviewed in Spain on June 28, 2023

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Se hace un poco largo, realmente la misión del Apolo 11 sólo se cubre de mitad para alante del libro. Tiene bastante de autobiografía. A pesar de ser un libro de los 70, todavía es interesante. El lenguaje de Collins es un poco rebuscado a veces. DEP.

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Said Fezazi

Fascinating read!

Reviewed in Germany on September 27, 2020

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After I started reading this book, I just could not stop and finished it after three days despite the 478 pages. Provides fascinating insight into NASA politics, how astronauts are chosen, what it takes to be one, and a lot of very detailed information about how missions are planned and executed. It is very well written and has a lot of humor throughout. It made me laugh many times! Highly recommended!

One person found this helpful

Matteo

Un viaggio di un astronauta

Reviewed in Italy on August 9, 2020

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Michael Collins nonostante sia stato membro dell'Apollo 11 è ricordato come l' "astronauta dimenticato" poiché non mise piede sulla Luna insieme ad Armstrong e Aldrin.

Questa sua opera è scritta davvero bene, molto dettagliata e tecnica in alcuni punti (potrebbe annoiare), e sa mantenere vivo l'interesse nel lettore. Egli racconta tutte le fasi della sua carriera da test pilot dell' Aeronautica, l'addestramento da astronauta fino al suo ultimo incarico dopo aver prestato servizio nella NASA.

Il suo racconto è realistico, umano e sa descrivere benissimo la sua esperienza anche sul piano psicologico e delle emozioni cosa che non riesce o non si trova nei libri di altri astronauti.

La bellezza di "Carrying the Fire" la si può trovare nei piccoli eventi raccontati come l'incontro con i cosmonauti sovietici, le sue riflessioni sul programma spaziale, la difficoltà della vita da astronauta, il suo rapporto nei confronti degli altri colleghi, il ricovero in ospedale per un intervento chirurgico e il suo legame con Roma, città natale. Tutto ciò lo fa senza annoiare e utilizzando un umorismo sottile e divertente.

In questo libro, Collins, è sia un filosofo che un ingegnere/astronauta; dà degli spunti su cui riflettere e ci fa capire l'importanza di non arrendersi mai non lasciandosi scoraggiare dalle avversità.

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