Christopher Riley Books

Where Once We Stood is a stunning book – large, weighty and dense with information, vocabulary, ideas and meaning. Capturing first-hand accounts from the 12 people who have stood on the moon, in their own words, each chapter covers a particular Apollo mission and begins with dates, crew logs and maps to set the scene.

The stories themselves are heart-stopping. From Neil Armstrong’s era-defining first step into the moon’s pristine dust, to Gene Cernan’s final step and wish that “we leave as we came…with peace and hope for all Mankind”, we experience in real time the anticipation, the elation and the fear of exploring the Moon’s awesome other-worldly environment.

The language throughout is a glorious blend of the poetic and the scientific, the prosaic and the profound. The illustrations by Martin Impey are breath-taking and alone make the book worth purchasing. Where Once We Stood rewards detailed and repeated study and would be an excellent key text around which to build a Space Scheme of Work for Year 5/6.