Books by Michael Collins
Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story
Based on the adult bestseller Carrying the Fire
In time for the 50th anniversary of man's first landing on the moon, this re-release of Michael Collins's autobiography is a bold, sparkling testament to exploration and perseverance.
In this captivating account, space traveler Collins recalls his early days as an Air Force test pilot, his training at NASA, and his unparalleled experiences in orbit, including the Apollo 11 mission, the first manned lunar landing. The final chapter to this autobiography is an exciting and convincing argument in favor of mankind's continued exploration of our universe.
Originally published in 1976 and updated for this new edition, including an introduction from astronaut Scott Kelly, Collins's voice and message are sure to resonate with a new generation of readers.
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Lost Souls
by Honore de Balzac, Lisa Jackson, Michael Collins
Discovering the dead body of a young child, a victim of an apparent hit-and-run accident, a police officer conducts a covert investigation when the case is thwarted by both the mayor and the police chief, who want attention diverted from the primary suspect, a promising high-school football hero. 20,000 first printing.
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Lost Souls
by Honore de Balzac, Lisa Jackson, Michael Collins
True crime writer Kristi Bentz, searching for the one case that will take her to the top, gets her wish when she enrolls at All Saints College to investigate the brutal murders of three troubled girls, all of whom were found with the blood drained from their bodies.
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Lost Souls
by Honore de Balzac, Lisa Jackson, Michael Collins
The first new translation of Balzac’s 1847 novel Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes in half a century, fully annotated and with an extensive introduction
In Lost Souls, Honoré de Balzac’s brilliant evocation of nineteenth-century Paris, we enter a world of glittering wealth and grinding poverty, teeming with strivers, poseurs, and pleasure seekers along with those who struggle merely to survive. Between the heights of Parisian society and the criminal world lurking underneath, fate is about to catch up with Lucien de Rubempré, last seen in Lost Illusions, as his literary aspirations, his love for the courtesan Esther van Gobseck, and his scheme to marry the wealthy Clotilde become entangled in the cunning and ultimately disastrous ambitions of the Abbé Herrera, a villain for the ages.
An extraordinary volume in Balzac’s vast Human Comedy (in which he endeavored to capture all of society), Lost Souls appears here in its first new English translation in half a century. Keenly attuned to the acerbic charm and subtleties of Balzac’s prose, this edition also includes an introduction presenting thorough biographical, literary, and historical context, as well as extensive notes throughout the text—an invaluable resource for today’s readers as they navigate Balzac’s copious allusions to classical and contemporaneous politics and literature.
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The Resurrectionists: A Novel
Haunted by the deaths of his parents and uncle, Frank journeys north to dispute a cousin's claim to the family farm, where he meets a stranger who might resolve mysteries about Frank's past.
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The Vatican: Secrets and Treasures of the Holy City
Written by a Vatican insider and accomplished church historian, this book is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the world's smallest nation and the spiritual center of the Catholic Church. Produced with the full cooperation of the Vatican, this is a beautifully illustrated insiders guide into the 2,000 year long history of the Vatican and papal influence, daily life and governance of the world's largest religious body, and the art collections and other priceless treasures rarely seen by the public. In addition to a unique photographic tour, the book includes personal interviews with various Vatican employees and insiders who make their home there, from a Swiss Guard to a singer in the Sistine Chapel choir. This book is an unparalleled look into life inside the Holy City.
A Conversation with Father Michael Collins, Author of The Vatican
You are a former Vatican guide. How did you first become directly involved in the Eternal City?
When I was 18, I began to spend my summers as a guide in St. Peter’s Basilica. For the next six years I spent three months each summer accompanying tourists and pilgrims from all over the world around the Basilica. It was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed meeting people from all sorts of religious and cultural backgrounds.
Can you briefly speak to what daily life is like in the Vatican? How many people permanently reside there; is there a constant parade of pageantry; etc.?
There is an anecdote about Pope John XXIII. On one occasion an ambassador asked him how many people worked at the Vatican. He paused and thought for a few moments before answering “I think about half of them!”
The number of people residing at any one time in the Vatican fluctuates. There are roughly 400 people. These of course include the Pope but also Swiss Guards, security personnel, medical staff, clergy and religious brothers and sisters. Although many people are fascinated by the pageantry when there is a big religious ceremony, behind-the-scenes life is quite ordinary. I tried in this book to give a balance between the formally glitzy side and the ordinary day-to-day life of the citizens.
You spent six summers as a guide in St. Peter’s Basilica. What do you find most interesting about being a church historian?
I love the stories that are more amazing than fiction. The popes have had an extraordinary effect on history. They launched the Crusades, the Inquisition and in a certain sense the Reformation. At least one pope was mad and had the body of his predecessor disinterred and thrown in the River Tiber. Pope Alexander divided the New World between the Spanish and the Portuguese in the early 16th century. That is why Brazilians speak Portuguese and the rest of Latin Americans speak Spanish. Another Pope tried to stop Galileo’s amazing discovery of the earth revolving around the sun. Throughout The Vatican, I have shaped a brief bird’s eye view of the popes and their influences on history.
The Vatican Museums house one of the greatest art collections in the world. Why is it important for the city to hold onto these pieces, instead of say, to sell the works and give the profits to those in need?
Many people say that the Vatican should sell off the treasures. There is a lot to be said for that idea. The problem is why disperse the unique collection which is available to people who come to Rome? The collection, which is several hundreds of years old, would be bought by private individuals and other museums. It would not be so easily available to the thousands which can visit the museums each day. Also, most of the artifacts are buildings and architectural sites which cannot be sold for practical reasons.
The Church is a spiritual family and proudly safeguards its family heirlooms like any family treasures items passed down lovingly from one generation to the next. The artists believed in the spirituality which inspired their works so that is why we revere and care for them. They don’t go up for auction as soon as the artist di
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The Story of Christianity
by Michael Collins, Matthew Price
Co-written by a Roman Catholic priest and a Protestant minister, this balanced, richly illustrated history of the Christian religion traces the two-thousand-year development of the world's largest organized religion, from its Old Testament roots to the present day. Reprint.
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Death of a Writer: A Novel
For Robert Pendleton, a professor clinging to tenure and living in the shambles of his once-bright literary career, death seems to be the only remaining option. But his suicide attempt fails, halted at the last moment by the intervention of Adi Wiltshire, a graduate student battling her own demons of failure and thwarted ambition. During Pendleton's long convalescence, Adi discovers a novel hidden in his basement: a brilliant, semi-autobiographical story with a gruesome child-murder at its core.
The publication of Scream causes a storm of publicity: a whirlwind into which Adi, Horowitz and the still-incapacitated Pendleton are thrust. The novel is treated as an existential masterpiece and looks set to bring its author the success he's always sought – when, ironically, he is no longer in a condition to appreciate it – until questions begin to be asked about its content: in particular about the uncanny resemblance between Pendleton's fictional crime and a real-life, unresolved local murder. Enter Jon Ryder, a world-weary detective who could have walked off the pages of a police thriller, and the hunt for the murderer is on.
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Carrying the Fire
Reissued with a new preface by the author on the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 journey to the moon
The years that have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon in July 1969 have done nothing to alter the fundamental wonder of the event: man reaching the moon remains one of the great events―technical and spiritual―of our lifetime.
In Carrying the Fire, Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of that adventure. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the Air Force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 space walk, presenting an evocative picture of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile earth from the other side of the moon.
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Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut's Journeys
The years that have passed since Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins piloted the Apollo 11 spacecraft to the moon in July 1969 have done nothing to alter the fundamental wonder of the event: man reaching the moon remains one of the great events--technical and spiritual--of our lifetime.
In Carrying the Fire, Michael Collins conveys, in a very personal way, the drama, beauty, and humor of that adventure. He also traces his development from his first flight experiences in the air force, through his days as a test pilot, to his Apollo 11 space walk, presenting an evocative picture of the joys of flight as well as a new perspective on time, light, and movement from someone who has seen the fragile Earth from the other side of the moon.
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Blind Corners Essays on Photography
"Blind Corners is a book every photographer should own." — W. Scott Olsen, Frames
For many years, photographer Michael Collins had wondered what exactly it was that he found so mysterious about photography. In this series of linked pieces, Collins offers a reappraisal of humble—and often ubiquitous—photographic genres that he believes are worthy of greater understanding.
From restoring abandoned photos, whose subjects are lost to time, to a quotidian history of the studio portrait; from tracing the origins of the panorama within the wider field of art history to an experiment in photographic portraiture using gorillas, Collins reveals what it is about photography that continues to fascinate us.
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A History of Christianity
by Michael Collins, Matthew Arlen Price
How did Christianity get shared around the world? And how has Christian belief changed over the last 50 years? Providing some of the answers to these and many other questions, this overview charts the 2,000-year-long history of the world's largest religion.
A History of Christianity covers everything from the world of the Old Testament to Christianity in the 21st century, including topics such as the early martyrs, the birth of the monasteries, the Crusades, the Reformation, and the rise of the Church in the Americas and Africa.
Explore the wide-ranging beliefs and doctrines found within the Church and the role Christianity plays in people's lives. Discover the key events, figures, and movements that helped shape the Church, with a fresh and highly visual approach.
In this Christianity book, you can find:
- An accessible illustrated guide to the key events and thinkers of the last 2,000 years of Christianity
- Detailed contextual illustrations, maps, and annotated works of art
- Insightful quotes from Christian thinkers and the Bible
- Chapters outlining different elements of Christianity and important moments that shaped beliefs including: The Roots of Christianity, Challenges to the Early Church, The Renaissance, Social Issues & Activism, and more
Beautifully illustrated, clearly presented, and written in an accessible style, this guide is the ideal companion for those who want to know about the history of the Church. This is a great guide for readers looking for a clear and accessible introduction to Christianity.
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