n 1953, astronomer and physicist Kenneth Heuer wrote Men of Other Planets (Pellegrini & Cudahy, NYC) where he speculated on the forms of humanoid life that was possible on the other planets, moons and asteroids of outer space. In the early years of flying saucer sightings and shocking sci-fi films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still the public’s appetite for both solid space science and fictional musings was insatiable.

The times were ripe for Heuer’s heady mix of hard science and wild speculation about the cosmos.The full-page scratch board illustration by R.T. Crane added an aura to the quirky notions set forth in this book.

Probably the most startling concept in the book is Heuer’s suggestion that we may be their descendants. of space aliens. He floated the possibility that eons ago our ancestors came from outer space as human-like beings in space ships.