This paperback book was published in SEP 1968 (the 3rd published Trek book after James Blish's "Star Trek" (JAN67) and "Star Trek 2" (FEB68)) and written by Stephen E. Whitfield and Gene Roddenberry. From the back cover:

　　"THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE LEADING SCIENCE FICTION TV PROGRAM. STAR TREK! The long, hard battle of television's first tentative step toward adult science fiction, with the complete story on how the USS Enterprise was designed, her weaponry, equipment and power sources, the original concept behind the show, how the continuity is maintained, backgrounds of the characters, biography of the stars, and pictures, diagrams, and illustrations - the whole authentic history."

　　Any real fan of the original series probably already owns and has read this book. But this 1st printing is a true vintage book for any Star Trek fan or collector to possess, as it was written AND published DURING the show's original run, offering glimpses of the goings-on (both antics and agonies) happening on the west coast in the production of "Star Trek!" This 1st printing was hot off the press in September 1968, the beginning of Trek's 3rd (and last) season. The ending pages of the book speak about uncertainty whether NBC would allow the series to go past January of '69, so those reading this particular book were living the fears and anticipations the book ended on! It wasn't history to the first eyes on this book, but a rocky present and an uncertain future for a show they were obviously quite interested in.

　　The book has been in the collections of at least 3 fans before ending up at a used paperback store in Colorado Springs, CO. (I believe I purchased this book from that store MANY years ago.) Never-the-less, it's in good shape for being nearly 50 years old! The worst areas are a strong crease on the lower right corner of the front cover, the creased, indented spine that testifies to years of gentle use, some staining of a few bottom corner pages in the middle of the book, regular wear on the cover from being against other books, and the pen signature, rubber stamp signature, page stamp "Library of," and the rubber stamp of the used book store. I've had the book in a plastic cover for as long as I've owned it (more than 20 years), and it's only been out of that cover for the photos I took for this posting (it's back in its cover, now).

　　At the price I've set this book at (in consideration of it's value as a 1st print), I'd recommend the buyer keep this as a hands-off display (seeing as how it's traveled from the midst of the original series' production) and find some later printing for a few dollars to read - because it is absolutely an entertaining and educational tome, a thoroughly worthwhile read!

　　If you'd like to skip the drive to Bourbonnais and buy from me online using PayPal, you can go to my 'online garage sale' at:

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　　I usually ship within 24 hours of the sale.