Book review - It came from outer space wearing an RAF blazer! Martin Mobberley

[Mr niall]

This is Martins biography of Patrick Moore; however it is reasonably expensive, even the kindle version was £18 and it is absolutely whopping at nearly 700 pages! But as I was on holiday for two weeks in France I thought I probably had ample time to read it.

Martin has a very conversational writing style that is lovely and easy to keep up with - frequently going off on tangents and then inserting an “anyway I digress” type comment and drifting back to the main story. As someone who worked closely with Patrick and clearly revered him and moved in the same circles, Martin had been able to write a very detailed warts and all biography that seems at pains to cut through a lot of the bull that Patrick was renowned for spouting.

The book is set nicely in sections that drift through Patrick’s life and there are very few stones left unturned - especially “the war years” and the last few years of Patrick’s life.

However... Martins approach of brutal openness and honesty seems slightly conflicted in the last third of the book. My personal opinion based on what I’ve read is that for the first 70 years of his life he was an incredible astronomy powerhouse with a heart of gold and an incredible work ethic. 

It pains me to say this but it seems almost like in the last few years of his life he became a rather grumpy crotchety horrible old man. And I think this is where Martin perhaps struggles to reconcile the difference between the man he idolised and the man he became in his later years - or more likely - he tries to protect Patrick’s image or the image of Patrick that readers may have (after all this is probably a book for the fans!), but at the same time keep the thing honest.

Either way a great read and hats of to Martin for an amazing job. I would recommend it. My only wish is that it could have included some of Patrick’s drawings, sketches and notes - by all accounts he was a very accomplished lunar artist.

I now need to find the George Alcock biography Under an English Heaven by Simmons but can’t find it anywhere for less than £70!

niall 

[bish]

I've had it sat on my shelf for a few months in the queue of books to be read. At least it sounds worth a read. 

[Knighty2112]

Good review. Thanks!