2001: The Lost Science by Adam K. Johnson; Apogee Prime; Burlington Ontario, Canada; $49.95 (soft cover); 2012.
This large format book adds yet more atmospherics to that already larger-than-life 1968 science fiction movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick.
What has been teased out of the Frederick Ordway III collection from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center archives are priceless drawings, photos and related documents that helped to make this movie a meticulously crafted classic. Ordway was a science advisor to the movie’s production team and has provided additional text to this priceless volume.
Author Adam Johnson is an aerospace engineer and adjunct advisor for the Center in Huntsville, Alabama. He is the curator for the Ordway collection.
It’s true that much has been written over the decades in attempts to unravel the how, why, and what did it say aspects of the Kubrick blockbuster. Forget all that and engage…enjoy page after page of how scientific realism played out front and center in making the film.
From the Orion III spaceplane to Space Station V and Clavius Base, you’ll enjoy opening your own podbay to explore this exceptional book. Did you know that Richard Leakey was the anthropology consultant for the “Dawn of Man” sequence at the start of the film? Similarly, Irving John Good, the renowned 20th century mathematician, was consulted on bringing the HAL 9000 supercomputer to life.
It is doubtful that anybody reading this hasn’t seen and been influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey. Still, in diving into this captivating book you’ll better appreciate your next encounter with the movie.
Note that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to preserving this important archive at the US Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville Alabama.
Additionally, in buying this book you also receive a free DVD copy of the new documentary: 2001: The Science of Futures Past by award winning film maker, Michael Lennick, along with other bonus features.
For more information on this wonderful, fun and fact-filled volume, go to:
http://www.apogeeprime.com/prime/bookpages/9781926837192.html
By Leonard David