My favorite shots include images from Apollo 15, where the varied terrain of the Apennine mountains and Hadey Rille are displayed in full-spread panoramas. I also love the pictures of the lunar module in Earth orbit during Apollo 9, and a full-disc moon shot taken during Apollo 13.

The latter shot speaks volumes. By the time it was taken, astronauts Lovell, Swigert and Haise had flown their wounded Apollo spacecraft around the moon and were heading back to Earth. Their chance to land on the surface was long gone, and the moon was receding slowly back into the blackness of space. Whether or not the crew would even survive their ordeal was still unknown.

The stories and notes accompanying each mission are equally entertaining, and do much to humanize the astronauts. Alan Bean's camera mishaps—in which he ruined a video camera by pointing it at the sun, before leaving several rolls of exposed film on the surface—are mentioned. In the Apollo 10 section, Gene Cernan agrees it was a good idea for NASA to short-fuel the lunar ascent module to prevent the crew from landing: "Don't give those guys an opportunity to land, 'cause they might!" There's also a fun recollection about John Young and Charlie Duke's "Lunar Olympics" during Apollo 16.

Following the photo section is a feature on the equipment and techniques the astronauts used to capture the images. Apollo photography was no trivial matter. The astronauts trained extensively on how to frame, focus and set exposure levels using specially modified Hasselblad cameras. The cameras were custom-built for users with bulky spacesuit gloves, and had to be hardened to withstand the dusty vacuum of the lunar surface. To hone their photography skills, many astronauts carried around Hasselblads before their missions, snapping pictures from their training jets and capturing moments with friends and family.

Apollo begins with an introduction from astronaut Walt Cunningham, which describes the evolution of space photography through NASA's Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs. There's also a fold-out reproduction of the lunar "targets of opportunity" map from Apollo 11.

At 95 euros (includes free worldwide shipping), Apollo is pricey, but worth it. Some extra nice touches include a "NASA blue" cloth cover with the title stamped in gold, and a full-color book jacket. It's also hard to beat the hypnotic smell of the printed pages, along with the tactile sense of flipping through the photos.

Apollo would make a great addition to the office or living room of any space fan.