Here is the spine-tingling, true story of that first American blast into the realm of the stars, of the men who underwent rigorous training for that epic mission, and of the one man who made the safe journey. This is the factual account of the history of rocketry, its triumphs and its failures, our shame in the neglect of it, and our pride in its later accomplishments. Here, too, is a glimpse into the future, as only science fiction writer Robert Silverberg could foresee: orbiting space stations, a man on the moon, and more!

When Edward the Confessor, King of England, died in January 1066 without an obvious heir to the throne, his death precipated two invasions of England and a series of battles for the crown by three men: King Harold II of England, King Harold Hardrada of Norway, and Duke William of Normandy (later King William I of England). The outcome determined the course of western civilization for a thousand years to come. Robert Silverberg, writing under the name Franklin Hamilton, brings alive the human participants of the conflict, making them relevant to the modern-day world.

In the fifteenth century, two families of royal descent, the Houses of York and Lancaster, clashed in an epic series of civil wars to win and control the throne of England. The crown slipped precariously from one family to the other, and not until the destruction of both Houses and the rise of a new royal family, the Tudors, did peace and stability return to the country. Robert Silverberg, writing as Franklin Hamilton, brings the personalities, politics, and events of this complex and exciting period to vivid and relevant life.

Beginning in 1095, Christianity and Islam clashed repeatedly over a 200-year period in the Middle East, in the series of wars we call The Crusades. This era saw naked scheming, selfish grabs for power, treachery of all kinds, and horrific battles--and also many examples of nobility, heroism, and faith on both sides. Robert Silverberg, writing as Franklin Hamilton, brings alive the human participants in these wars, and demonstrates why they remain so strikingly relevant to the political situation of our modern-day world.