Christopher Potter was publisher and managing director at the independent publishing house Fourth Estate. He is the author of You Are Here: A Portable History of the Universe and How to Make a Human Being: A Body of Evidence.
An elegantly written history of man's efforts to reach space... [Potter] has taken a considered risk in retelling the tale of how we first came to see our planet from the outside. It pays off beautifully. The result is a fresh and elegantly wrought account of mankind's journey from firing lumps of jerry-rigged metal from cabbage fields to crunching around in the dust of another world... The Earth Gazers is a terrific piece of writing' * The Times * Well written and takes a different, more personal viewpoint than many others on the subject * BBC Sky at Night * Intriguing and original * Catholic Herald * Potter's history of the great adventure nicely catches the tension between the sublime escape represented by space travel and the hideous detail of getting there; the euphoria of great ambition and the bleak anticlimax of touchdown * Guardian * Clearly illustrates the contrasts, contradictions and egos in those involved in the space race and is completely fascinating * Four Shires Magazine * An enthralling account of the golden age of manned space travel that emphasizes the transcendent experiences of everyone involved, and he makes a convincing case that America lost something vital when it ended * Kirkus Reviews * Potter has distilled [the feeling that man always looks just beyond his reach and strives to get there] and on each page of cataloguing endeavour gives a hint of the joy those 24 men had when they looked out the window and saw Home... In hardback, Head of Zeus have created a truly beautiful edition to go with such an inspiring tale' * Boney Abroad *