Prelude to Space

Prelude to Space (Ballantine, 1976) by Arthur C. Clarke.

Another early work by Clarke. It depicts a privately funded trip to the Moon. The book is told primarily from the viewpoint of the main character, a historian who is sent to write the official account of the enterprise. There are some nice touches such as the depiction of the astronauts and their training, a person who tries to destroy the mission and a nice end sequence. Despite the fact that we never traveled to the Moon quite in this fashion, there are passages in here that ring true even today and move me as much as they did when I first read the book.