by Natalia ALEXEYEVA, journalist As Nikolai Pirogov, an outstanding Russian surgeon (1810 - 1881), has put it, the book is a yardstick of society. Indeed, those who visited a book fair held in March 2007 at the National Exhibition Center in Moscow and attended a round table on books about outer space found themselves among a good company. The round table was sponsored by the Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Media, RT-Soft Publishers and other bodies. Books on space and the universe have always been attracting interest of broad readership. And this is absolutely true of a three-volume book of reminiscences on Sergei Korolev, a great Russian aerospace designer timed for his birth centenary.* The author of this book (S. P. Korolev: Father) is Natalia Koroleva, his daughter, who, for well over forty years, has been collecting bits of evidence on her father and visiting many places connected with his life and activity. Such copious material has enabled her to stick to real facts and happenings. Using archival documents of the KGB (Soviet State Security Committee in 1954 to 1991) and other repressive bodies, she has debunked some myths and legends attached to the name of our celebrated compatriot. Taking up the subject, cosmonaut Anatoly Berezovoi commented on the book Rockets and the People Who Have Made Them-written by Acad. Boris Chertok, a close associate of Korolev's, and put out in a second edition by RT-Soft Publishers. Boris Chertok, among the illustrious cohort of our rocket-makers, had much to say on the productive cooperation of scientists and aerospace engineers. As an insider he took a direct part in the developing and testing of our rockets and missiles. * See: N. Sevastyanov, "The Cause of Legendary Designer Lives On"; N. Koroleva, "His Name and Cosmos Are Inseparable", Science in Russia, No. 1, 2007. - Ed. стр. 27 Natalia, a daughter of the physicist and writer Leonid Leskov, told the audience about ... Read more