THE MERCURY ASTRONAUTS: FIRST EDITION OF WE SEVEN, SIGNED BY CARPENTER, COOPER AND SCHIRRA

CARPENTER, M. Scott, COOPER, L. Gordon, Jr., GLENN, John H., Jr., GRISSOM, Virgil I., SCHIRRA, Walter M., Jr., SHEPARD, Alan B., Jr., SLAYTON, Donald K. We Seven. By the Astronauts Themselves. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1962. Octavo, original black cloth, original dust jacket. $3900.

First edition of this comprehensive and engaging first-hand account of the genesis of America’s manned space program, richly illustrated with photographs, and inscribed by three of the Mercury astronauts with their names and mission designations: Scott Carpenter (Aurora 7), Wally Schirra (Sigma 7) and Gordon Cooper (Faith 7).

"The first seven American astronauts were an admirable group of individuals chosen to sit at the apex of a pyramid of human effort… In volunteering to entrust their lives to Mercury's spirit and Atlas' strength to blaze a trail for man into the empyrean, they chose to lead by following the opportunity that chance, circumstance, technology and history had prepared for them" (Swenson, Grimwood & Alexander, 164-65). This volume offers a cohesive chronicle of the beginnings of American manned space exploration from the perspectives of the those who pioneered it, with each member of Project Mercury contributing at least three essay-length sections. Illustrated with numerous black-and-white photographs, color photographic endpapers and title page. Inscribed by Scott Carpenter, the second American to orbit Earth; Gordon Cooper, whose 22-orbit flight on May 15-16, 1963 concluded Project Mercury's operational phase; and Wally Schirra, the only astronaut who flew on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft.

Book near-fine with slight rubbing to spine, minor abrasion to front board. Bright, price-clipped dust jacket extremely good with small chip to spine head, tape repairs to rear panel. A desirable inscribed copy.