A selection of the History, Scientific American, and Quality Paperback Book Clubs For a very brief moment during the 1960s, America was moonstruck. Boys dreamt of being an astronaut; girls dreamed of marrying one. Americans drank Tang, bought “space pens” that wrote upside down, wore clothes made of space age Mylar, and took imaginary rockets to the moon from theme parks scattered around the country. But despite the best efforts of a generation of scientists, the almost foolhardy heroics of the astronauts, and 35 billion dollars, the moon turned out to be a place of “magnificent desolation,” to use Buzz Aldrin’s words: a sterile rock of no purpose to anyone. In Dark Side of the Moon, Gerard J. DeGroot reveals how NASA cashed in on the Americans’ thirst for heroes in an age of discontent and became obsessed with putting men in space. The moon mission was sold as a race which America could not afford to lose. Landing on the moon, it was argued, would be good for the economy, for politics, and for the soul. It could even win the Cold War. The great tragedy is that so much effort and expense was devoted to a small step that did virtually nothing for mankind. Drawing on meticulous archival research, DeGroot cuts through the myths constructed by the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson administrations and sustained by NASA ever since. He finds a gang of cynics, demagogues, scheming politicians, and corporations who amassed enormous power and profits by exploiting the fear of what the Russians might do in space. Exposing the truth behind one of the most revered fictions of American history, Dark Side of the Moon explains why the American space program has been caught in a state of purposeless wandering ever since Neil Armstrong descended from Apollo 11 and stepped onto the moon. The effort devoted to the space program was indeed magnificent and its cultural impact was profound, but the purpose of the program was as desolate and dry as lunar dust.

Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) is one of the most acclaimed albums of all time. A stunning exploration of madness, death, anxiety, and alienation, it remained on the Billboard charts for 724 weeks--the longest consecutive run for an LP ever--and has sold 30 million copies worldwide. It still sells some quarter million copies every year. Besides being perhaps rock's most fully realized and elegant concept album, The Dark Side of the Moon was among the most technically advanced records of its time, perfectly blending studio wizardry and fearless innovation. The rich story behind The Dark Side of the Moon is now skillfully illuminated by acclaimed journalist John Harris's exploration of the album's many secrets and the band's fractured history, including the mental collapse of group founder Syd Barrett. Drawing on original interviews with bassist and chief lyricist Roger Waters, guitarist Dave Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, keyboardist Richard Wright, and the album's supporting cast, The Dark Side of the Moon is a must-have for the millions of devoted fans looking for the definitive story of one of the most timeless, compelling, and mysterious albums ever made.

A blackly comic heist novel set in Glasgow’s famed underworld, reminiscent of early Christopher Brookmyre. Boddice, a crime lord looking over his shoulder for good reason, has assembled an unlikely band of misfit crooks. Their job is to steal a famous diamond worth millions, known as The Dark Side of the Moon. Despite the odds, the crew’s self-serving squabbles and natural incompetence, the plan progresses. As events build to an explosive climax no one really knows who is playing who. Full of twists and turns and laugh-out-loud moments, this is a hugely enjoyable romp from entirely the criminal’s point-of-view, with not a single cop in sight. ‘Neds, drug dealers, gangsters, molls, jakes, crazy old bag ladies, racketeering, and the biggest jewel heist ever seen in the UK. Welcome to Glasgow. No Mean City meets The Italian Job in this hilarious comic noir debut, as the dark underbelly of the city’s crimeland is spewed onto the page. With razor-sharp dialogue, superbly venal characters and a finely-tuned plot, The Dark Side of the Moon builds to an explosive firecracker of an ending.’ Douglas Lindsay, author of The Legend of Barney Thomson and Song of the Dead ‘Mix Irvine Welsh with Ocean’s Eleven. Set in Glasgow and BANG! Dark Side of the Moon is a fun and thrilling read with moments that will have you reflecting on life, and moments when you will be giving it LOLs. A boom-bastic read. Loved it.’ Michael Malone, author of Beyond the Rage and Bad Samaritan

Susan Michaels was once the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until a major scandal ruined her life and left her writing stories about alien babies and Elvis sightings. Life as she once knew it is over, or so she thinks, but then she gets a lead on a story that could salvage her extinct career. She heads to the local animal shelter, expecting a hot news tip, which she gets in the form of a major police cover-up . . . for a ring of soul-sucking vampires out to take over Seattle. So much for saving her credibility. And if that isn't bad enough, she gets talked into adopting a cat and finds she's allergic to it. A cat that turns out to be a shapeshifter who claims to be an immortal vampire slayer on the prowl for the same corrupt cops. Her first thought: seek professional help. But as Susan's drawn into Ravyn's dark and dangerous world, she comes to realize that there's a lot more at stake than just her defunct career. Now it's no longer a question of bringing the truth to her readers; it's a matter of saving their very lives and souls. Ravyn's life was shattered over four hundred years ago, when he mistakenly trusted the wrong human with the truth of his existence. He lost his family, his honor, and his life. Now, in order to save the people of Seattle, he's forced to confront that nightmare all over again, and to trust another woman with the secret that could destroy him. In the world of the Dark-Hunters, life is always dangerous. But never more so than now; when a very human woman can shatter their entire world with just one story. The only question is . . . will she?

The story takes place in a near future (more or less). The world is a huge factory, and the factory is the world. This world is presided over by "The Orifice," the company which revolutionized the working method. You put your hands inside two holes, and you work, without you (or anybody) actually knowing what you're working on... In the midst of all this is Lantz. Lantz is a comic book author. He's the one who came up with the New New Testament, the bestseller that the entire economy depends on. Problem is: he's got writer's block. Riddled with doubt, he doesn't know what he wants anymore, and his various frustrations are making him miserable. Lantz reflects the daily life of many among us. Will he be able to find an honorable way out of his psychological battles?

A motiveless kidnapping and a solo flight to the dark side of the moon are juxtaposed in William Corlett's extraordinary novel. At first the narratives seem unrelated until the reader sees the dramatic parallels in the two situations, which give the book its force and relevance. The story begins with the kidnapping. A boy is taken from his Scottish boarding school but there seems to be no reason behind the kidnapping: no ransom, no threats, just a note saying WE HAVE GOT YOUR BOY. MAY SOCIETY ROT AND THIS MESS OF A WORLD PERISH. While the police sift through the evidence, a lonely astronaut faces his private terrors during a critical moon flight.

IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S ASSASSINATION, ANOTHER CRIME IS COMMITTED. Amrita Chaddha, a rookie lecturer, is left lame. Her idyllic past with her brother shaken. Overcome by an onslaught of doubts about her future and the future of the country, she plunges into a kind of madness. Centered in Delhi over three summer months in 1985, the crisis is both psychological and real. The struggle reveals all sorts of secret wounds in the families beyond, the holocaust of the 1947 India Partition, the choices made. Journeying into Pakistan and Britain (and the U.S. and the moon), four generations of family and national history must collide with the present before the battle for justice and love can take place. Anju Kanwar's novel magically renders a society in moral conflict as it grapples with compassion, imagination, reason, sacrifice, appetite, bigotry, violence, all to make a choice. The Dark Side of the Moon, at its heart, uses the kaleidoscope of memory to frame love and home.