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By Mia Fineman and Beth Saunders with an introduction by Tom Hanks

In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, this captivating volume surveys the role of photography in the scientific study and artistic interpretation of the moon from the dawn of the medium to the present. Featuring stunning photographs and videos as well as related prints, drawings, paintings, and astronomical instruments, Apollo's Muse explores nineteenth-century efforts to map the lunar surface, whimsical fantasies of life on the moon, and the visual language of the Cold War space race. The book also includes discussions of work created in response to the moon landing by artists such as Nancy Graves, Aleksandra Mir, and Robert Rauschenberg. A delightful introduction by Tom Hanks, star of the award-winning film Apollo 13, delves into the universal fascination with representations of the cosmos and the ways in which space travel expands the limits of human vision.

Mia Fineman is Curator in the Department of Photographs at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Beth Saunders is Curator and Head of Special Collections and Gallery at the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery, University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Tom Hanks is an Academy Award–winning actor and was executive producer of the television series From the Earth to the Moon.