Illustrated by Tavis Coburn
Introduced by Andrew Chaikin
The Right Stuff is an exhilarating flight into the death-defying lives of the Mercury Seven, America’s first astronauts. This Folio edition of Tom Wolfe’s classic features superb retro-styled colour illustrations by Tavis Coburn.
‘Learned, cheeky, risky, touching, tough, compassionate, nostalgic, worshipful… The Right Stuff is superb.’
- New York Times
‘What is it that makes a man willing to sit up on top of an enormous Roman candle, and wait for someone to light the fuse?’ In The Right Stuff, hailed as one of the greatest books ever written about space flight, Tom Wolfe sets out to answer the question, and lays bare the mindset and motivations of the first American astronauts to risk life and limb to beat the Soviets into orbit. He blows apart the mythology of the Mercury Seven – Deke Slayton, Gus Grissom, Alan Shepard, Wally Schirra, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Gordon Cooper – and the forerunner of them all, supersonic test pilot Chuck Yeager. Dazzlingly written, this is a thrilling account of men who ‘pushed the edge of the envelope’ at work and play, all to prove they possessed the quality that Wolfe famously christened the right stuff. Opening with a new introduction by space historian Andrew Chaikin and featuring Tavis Coburn’s striking retro-styled graphic illustrations, this is an exceptional edition of a 20th-century classic from the Folio Society.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
Bound in printed and blocked cloth
Set in Cartier Book with Helvetica as display
448 pages
Frontispiece and 7 colour illustrations, including 5 double-page spreads
Black & white chapter details
Printed endpapers
Printed page edges
Printed slipcase
9 ½˝ x 6 ¾˝
Unique Space Age illustration
Beautiful illustration, vibrant colors, really match the heroic characters documeted by the author.
Review by MR SHI CHEE CHIA on 28th February 2025
Very happy to have this in a folio edition. Had a paper edition of this book years ago. Read it and discarded. Folio editions are worth it for the exclusive collection of books you really love.
Review by Michael Chong on 8th February 2025
Bought this classic as part of Folio’s January sale. It’s beautiful. Bought one for me and one from my Grandson’s birthday.
Review by Sigowner on 7th February 2025
A delightful edition of this classic. Beautiful cover.
Review by Randall Griffith on 6th February 2025
Absolutely love this book, the artwork inside is great and it’s one of my favourite Folio books so far
Review by Lewis Crouch on 4th February 2025
Parallel Worlds is Michio Kaku’s astonishing journey into the mysteries of our universe – and the tantalising possibility that many others may exist. Awe-inspiring images of the cosmos complete this Folio edition.
The Order of Time is physicist Carlo Rovelli’s number-one bestselling exploration of the universe’s greatest mystery – time itself. Philip Pullman introduces this Folio edition featuring Daniel Streat’s unique graphic design.
The Planets is a thrilling tour of our solar system by Andrew Cohen and Professor Brian Cox, in a Folio edition with breathtaking NASA photography from the latest space missions.
Andrew Chaikin selects stunning new photography for The Folio Society edition of A Man on the Moon – his commanding history of the Apollo missions, with an introduction by Tom Hanks.
