A GROUP OF FOURTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS FOR WERNHER VON BRAUN'S BOOK FIRST MEN TO THE MOON

First Men to the Moon, written by Wernher von Braun and illustrated by Fred Freeman was published in 1960. The novella evolved from a serial written for This Week magazine in 1958-1959 (see lots 223 and 224). Wernher von Braun (1912-1977) was an integral part of space exploration in the twentieth exploration. Von Braun was a rocket engineer who became the director of the Marshall Space Flight Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1960. In addition to his work developing missiles, he wrote for magazines like Collier’s. First Men to the Moon follows astronauts John Mason and Larry Carter on their adventure to the Moon. Their mission was to explore and study its interior. Von Braun wrote the fictional story with its foundation in scientific fact, contemporary thinking, and in his own expertise on the subject.

Fred Freeman illustrated von Braun’s story, providing readers a thorough and exciting visual aid. Freeman was a graphic artist who joined the Navy at the beginning of World War II. He became the officer in command of the Navy’s art unit and continued his artistic career after the war, painting illustrations for books on military history such as United States Submarine Operations in World War II (1949) and United States Destroyer Operations in World War II (1953). He also illustrated for magazines like Life and Esquire, as well as for Willy Ley's article published in Collier’s (see lot 219).