We meteorite enthusiasts are passionate about our space rocks, and also pretty much anything else related to them, especially books. It has been a while since a major new meteorite book appeared in our telescopes. The last was The Field Guide to Meteors and Meteorites by O. Richard Norton and Lawrence A. Chitwood published in 2008. The release of any work on the subject is a treat for us, and the wonderful new meteorite book The Fallen Sky: An Intimate History of Shooting Stars by Christopher Cokinos is both a joy to read and a revelation.

It is nearly upon us. In less than three weeks, forty whole years will have passed since that remarkably odd-looking, yet universally adored device named Eagle began broadcasting from the Sea of Tranquility, a quarter of a million miles away.

At approximately 9:20 pm on Tuesday, June 23, a large fireball was seen by multiple eyewitnesses in the night sky over southern Arizona. So far sightings have been reported as far south as Green Valley and as far north as Phoenix, with a concentration of reports from in and around Tucson.

At the recent screening party for the world premiere of Meteorite Men, my good friend and rather brilliant photography and design assistant, Leigh Anne DelRay, brought along a most interesting fellow, whom we now affectionately know as Bug Eric. Noted author, blogger, and world-famous entomologist, Eric R. Eaton and I are both members of the Society of Southwestern Authors, based here in Arizona.

So, after seventeen months of work Meteorite Men is finally a reality.

Anyone who took part in the Great Texas Fireball Hunt of February, 2009 will remember it for as long as they live.