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The Right Stuff
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The Right Stuff Paperback - 2008

by Tom Wolfe

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The first Americans in space--Yeager, Conrad, Grissom, and Glenn--battle the Russians for control of the heavens and put their lives on the line to demonstrate a quality beyond courage, in this classic by Wolfe.

About this book

What is it, I wondered, that makes a man willing to sit on top of an enormous Roman Candle, such as a Redstone, Atlas, Titan, or Saturn rocket, and wait for someone to light the fuse? I decided on the simplest approach possible. I would ask a few of the astronauts and find out - The men had it. Yeager. Conrad. Grissom. Glenn. Heroes. The first Americans in space - battling the Russians for control of the heavens, putting their lives on the line. The women had it. While Mr Wonderful was aloft, it tore your heart out that the Hero's Wife, down on the ground, had to perform with the whole world watching. The Right Stuff. It's the quality beyond bravery, beyond courage.

Reader reviews for The Right Stuff

From the publisher

"Tom Wolfe at his very best" (The New York Times Book Review), The Right Stuff is the basis for the 1983 Oscar Award-winning film of the same name and the 8-part Disney+ TV mini-series.

From "America's nerviest journalist" (Newsweek)--a breath-taking epic, a magnificent adventure story, and an investigation into the true heroism and courage of the first Americans to conquer space. "

Millions of words have poured forth about man's trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure; namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves - in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers, that made The Right Stuff a classic.

First line

HASH(0x110c1d70)

From the jacket flap

When the future began...
The men had it. Yeager. Conrad. Grissom. Glenn. Heroes ... the first Americans in space ... battling the Russians for control of the heavens ... putting their lives on the line.
The women had it. While Mr. Wonderful was aloft, it tore your heart out that the Hero's Wife, down on the ground, had to perform with the whole world watching ... the TV Press Conference: "What's in your heart? Do you feel with him while he's in orbit?"
The Right Stuff. It's the quality beyond bravery, beyond courage. It's men like Chuck Yeager, the greatest test pilot of all and the fastest man on earth. Pete Conrad, who almost laughed himself out of the running. Gus Grissom, who almost lost it when his capsule sank. John Glenn, the only space traveler whose apple-pie image wasn't a lie.

Details

  • Title The Right Stuff
  • Author Tom Wolfe
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 368
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Picador USA, New York
  • Publication date March 4, 2008
  • ISBN 9780312427566 / 0312427565
  • Weight 0.71 lbs (0.32 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.95 in (20.83 x 13.97 x 2.41 cm)
  • Reading level 1110
  • Category Technology & Industrial Arts
  • Library of Congress subjects Astronauts - United States, Astronautics - United States
  • Dewey Decimal Code 629.109

About the author

Tom Wolfe (1930-2018) was one of the founders of the New Journalism movement and the author of contemporary classics like The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, and Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers, as well as the novels The Bonfire of the Vanities, A Man in Full, and I Am Charlotte Simmons. As a reporter, he wrote articles for The Washington Post, the New York Herald Tribune, Esquire, and New York magazine, and is credited with coining the term, "The Me Decade." Among his many honors, Tom was awarded the National Book Award, the John Dos Passos Award, the Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence, the National Humanities Medal, and National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lived in New York City.

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The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

by Tom Wolfe

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
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Description:
Picador, 2008. Paperback. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

by Tom Wolfe

  • Used
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  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
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A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA

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Description:
Picador, 2008. Paperback. Acceptable. Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Item price
A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

by Tom Wolfe

  • Used
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  • Paperback
Condition
Very good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
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Description:
Picador, 2008. Paperback. Very Good. Disclaimer:A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. The spine remains undamaged. At ThriftBooks, our motto is: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

by Tom Wolfe

  • Used
  • Good
  • Paperback
Condition
Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador, 2008. Paperback. Good. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff

The Right Stuff

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
  • Acceptable
  • Paperback
Condition
Acceptable
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
4
Seller
Item price
A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador USA, 2008. Paperback. Acceptable. Former library book; Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$9.06
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Right Stuff

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
16
Seller
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Right Stuff

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
9
Seller
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Right Stuff

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Right Stuff

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA
The Right Stuff
Stock photo: cover may vary

The Right Stuff

by Wolfe, Tom

  • Used
Condition
Used
ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780312427566 / 0312427565
Quantity available
1
Seller
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA

Show details

Description:
Picador. Used - Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
Add to wish list
Item price
A$10.51
Free Delivery to USA