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Place a secure order or direct inquiry by clicking the appropriate link following any book description on this page. Or call toll free, 1-877-626-1363, to order or inquire by telephone. Thank you for your interest!
6408 . Barker, Chris A. Teakwood Decks (Signed) .
[Independence, MO]: [Susquehanna Publishers], [1985]; First printing. Octavo, Hardcover , black & white photographs, illus. , a-dd, 1-728 pages. Condition: Very Good in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector. History of the battleship USS Colorado (BB-45) in World War II. Barker was a marine who served aboard the Colorado in the Pacific, and presents a wealth of colorful memories and anecdotes collected from surviving shipmates. He corresponded with over 300 former crew members whose service ranged from 1923 to 1960. Also includes brief histories of the other two U.S. ships which bore the name Colorado: the frigate (1856-1885) and the armored cruiser (1905-1916). The book was limited to an edition of 1,000 copies, of which this is #601, INSCRIBED and SIGNED by Barker on front free endpaper. A promotional flyer and a typescript note explaining publishing delay are laid in. Bound in sky-blue paper over boards with spine titled in gilt. Minor rubs at spine extremities. Jacket has a few slight extremity rubs.
Book #6408
$200.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II ship histories Battleships USS Colorado (BB-45) Pacific Theatre Gunnery Naval Vessels Pacific fleet
10731 . Blee, Ben W. Battleship North Carolina (BB-55) .
[Wilmington]: (USS North Carolina Battleship Commission), (1982). Oblong Quarto, Paperback , black and white photographs, plans , viii, 96 pages. Condition: Very Good. World War II battle history of the North Carolina, by an officer of the ship's company and eyewitness to many of her actions, including being torpedoed. Large fold-out scaled plan at rear giving painting scheme and ship's plans as outfitted in 1944. Pictorial paper covers with mild extremity rubs.
Book #10731
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 Naval Warfare World War II Torpedoes Kamikaze Battleships BB55 USS North Carolina Pacific Theatre
7870 . Caidin, Martin in co-operation with the U. S. Navy. Golden Wings: A Pictorial History of the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Air .
New York: Arno Press, (1974). Quarto, Hardcover , Black & White photographs , [viii], 232 pages. Condition: Fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Comprehensive documentation in text and photographs of the evolution of airpower in Navy and Marine Corps, from the first Wright and Curtiss planes to the fleet ballistic missile Polaris. Many previously unpublished photographs. Bound in textured paper over boards with gilt-stamped spine titles. Jacket has a few edge rubs and wrinkles and a patch of surface rubbing at top fore corner of front panel.
Book #7870
$16.00 order or inquire Aviation U.S. Navy Marine Corps U.S.M.C. Curtiss Aircraft Carriers World War II Pilots Pacific Theatre
2236 . Craig, William. The Fall of Japan .
New York: Dial Press, 1967; Later printing. Octavo, Full cloth , B&w photographs, maps , xvi, 368 pages. Condition: Fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
The incredible final weeks of World War II in the Pacific and the desperation strategies of Japanese. Descriptions of the origins of the Kamikaze, General Curtis Lemay's gamble with low altitude fire-bomb attacks on Tokyo, the Japanese Intelligence apparatus which anticipated the U.S. invasion plans, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and much more. Drawn from interviews with key figures in the U.S. and Japan, previously unpublished diaries and official documents. Red cloth over boards with black spine lettering and decoration, endpaper maps. Fading at extreme edge of cloth at head of spine. Jacket has a few specks of rubbing, sun fading to spine.
Book #2236
$6.00 order or inquire Japanese Japan Kamikaze World War II Pacific Theater Atomic bomb Diplomacy Espionage Strategy
6494 . Goodwin, Michael J., edited by Don Graydon. Shobun: A Forgotten War Crime in the Pacific .
(Mechanicsburg, PA): Stackpole Books, (1995); Book Club edition. Octavo, Hardcover , Black & white photographs, map drawings , xxii, 147 pages. Condition: Fine in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Tragic story of a Japanese policy for handling American prisoners in the later stages of World War II. The policy of "Shobun" resulted in the routine execution of American airmen shot down over the Osaka area during the heavy B-29 bombing raids in the last months of the war. This account follows the fates of the crew of a single PBY Catalina patrol plane which fell victim to "Shobun." The author's father was one of the crew members. Brief bibliography, fully indexed. Black paper over boards with gilt spine lettering. Jacket has a short edge tear at top edge of rear panel.
Book #6494
$15.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Pacific Theatre Japanese Prisoners PBY Catalina War Crimes Pilots Kendari
9554 . Goodyear Aircraft Corporation. Introducing the F2G-2 .
Akron: Goodyear Aircraft Corporation, [1945?]. Sixteenmo, Wrappers , Bichrome illustrations , [12 pages]. Condition: Near fine. Promotional booklet for Goodyear's carrier-based "Super" Corsair fighter at the end of World War II. The F2G-2 mounted the powerful 28 cylinder Pratt & Whitney Wasp Major R-4360-4 engine. Only five production models were completed before the war ended. This booklet compares the new plane with previous Corsairs and highlights the improvements. There are basic specifications and statistics interspersed with handsome illustrations of scantily-clad ladies in island locales. Scarce. Printed paper covers with saddle-stapled binding. Minimal wear, binding sound. There are several short (1/4") pen strokes perpendicular to spine on rear cover.
Book #9554
$75.00 order or inquire Military Aircraft World War II Pacific Theatre Kamikaze Goodyear Aviation Pratt and Whitney Corsair Fighter Planes Military Contracts
10829 . Holmes, W[ilfred]. J[ay]. Undersea Victory: The Influence of Submarine Operations on the War in the Pacific .
Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1966; First printing. Octavo, Full cloth , Charts , xiv, 514 pages. Condition: Very good in a good dust jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector. Holmes was a Naval Academy graduate who served on the USS Nautilus and USS Barracuda, and was a Combat Intelligence Officer on Admiral Nimitz's staff during World War II. Here, in a series of riveting accounts of submarine engagements, he explains how America gained the upper hand in submarine warfare against Japan. Bound in green cloth over boards with gilt-stamped spine and endpaper maps. Moderate exterior rubs and spots, prior owner name on front free endpaper, slight foxing to textblock edges. Jacket has edge tears, chips and rubbed wrinkles.
Book #10829
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 Submarines World War II Pacific Theatre Japanese Naval Warfare Torpedoes sonar silent service
8603 . [Information and Education Section, Hq. USAFFE]. We Return … To the Philippines .
[Queensland Newspapers Pty. Ltd.]: [Brisbane], [1944?]. Octavo, Wrappers , monochrome drawings, maps , [ii], 34 pages. Condition: Very good. Pamphlet issued exclusively to military personnel as the U. S. prepared to invade and retake the Philippines in World War II. The content is aimed at giving fighting soldiers some familiarity with the military background, terrain, people, and culture of the Philippines before their assault to dislodge the occupying Japanese. Saddle-stapled binding with pictorial covers printed in brown and black. Cover title continues on page first page. Some rust to staples, the bottom one of which is beginning to pull through the cover. A few wrinkles to rear cover along spine, front cover has an almond-sized area of minor staining surrounding a couple of 1/8" specks of paper loss.
Book #8603
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Pacific Theatre Asia Philippines Bataan Death March General Douglas MacArthur Japanese Soldiers
2996 . [Kennedy, John F.] Hersey, John. Survival: From a PT base in the Solomons comes this nightmare epic of the will-to-live (Reader's Digest, v. 45, August 1944, pages 75-80) .
Pleasantville: Reader's Digest Assoc., Inc., 1944. Duodecimo, Magazine , 128 pages. Condition: Very Good. Complete issue of Reader's Digest magazine containing John Hersey's story of John F. Kennedy and PT-109. To put it simply, this is the article that launched Kennedy's political career. Hersey, a Kennedy family friend, first published this flattering account in the 'New Yorker.' But Joe Kennedy, unhappy with the New Yorker's relatively small circulation, pressed editor Paul Palmer for this appearance in the much more widely read 'Reader's Digest.' It was a shrewd move, and this condensed version of the PT-109 incident proved crucial to Kennedy's early political success. Indeed, this version was reprinted for each of JFK's subsequent campaigns, including his 1960 presidential run. As to the story itself, few would argue that young Lt. Kennedy acted heroically in his efforts to rescue his men after his PT boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer. But veteran PT commanders were incredulous that Kennedy's fast and highly maneuverable PT-109 had failed to evade the ramming in the first place. In fact no other PT boat was ever rammed by an enemy ship before or after Kennedy's, and he narrowly escaped court-martial for the incident. The magazine is bound in green printed covers with a stapled binding. There is some silverfishing at lower fore edge of front cover, a bit of soil to rear cover, and corner creases to lower fore corners of first several leaves.
Book #2996
$125.00 order or inquire Political Ephemera Us Presidents PT-109 PT Boats John F. Kennedy Presidential Political campaigns John Hersey World War II
7270 . [Kennedy, John F.] Hersey, John. A Reporter at Large: Survival (pages 27-38, New Yorker Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 18, June 17, 1944) .
New York: F. R. Publishing Corporation, 1944. Quarto, Magazine , color & black and white illustrations, ads , 72 pages. Condition: Very Good. This is a complete, original issue of the 'New Yorker' magazine containing the first appearance of John Hersey's story of John F. Kennedy and PT-109. Hersey was a Kennedy family friend, and this article was crucial in establishing the war hero image that launched JFK's political career in 1946. The PT boat Kennedy commanded in the Pacific was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and sunk in 1943. While there was no doubt that young Lt. Kennedy acted with heroism after the sinking, many veteran PT commanders suspected that negligence caused the incident in the first place since a PT boat was much faster and more maneuverable than a large destroyer. Indeed, this is the only time a PT-boat was sunk after being rammed by the enemy in World War II. This 'New Yorker' appearance is unabridged and more scarce than the condensed 'Reader's Digest' version published two months later. This copy of the magazine remains in very good condition. No significant wear, but a prior owner has reinforced the covers along the spine with black cloth tape. A handsome example of this essential Kennedy item.
Book #7270
$250.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II John F. Kennedy Pt-109 pt-boats Japanese Pacific Theater Naval Warfare Political Ephemera
8561 . Lee, Robert Edson. To the War .
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1968; First printing. Octavo, Hardcover , Sketches by Lorence Bjorklund , viii, 179 pages. Condition: Fine in a Fine Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Memoir of a junior Naval Reserve officer in World War II. Lee represents that significant group of World War II veterans who actually enjoyed the war. Bound in light green cloth over boards with blue paper sides and black and red decorations and lettering, light blue topstain. Touch of fading to top edges of boards, shallow wrinkles at spine heel. Jacket has a few slight edge wrinkles.
Book #8561
$15.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II u.s. naval reserve Pacific Theatre shipyards U.S. Navy Memoirs usnr
10590 . Lodge, O[rlan]. R[obert]. The Recapture of Guam .
[Washington, D.C.]: Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S 1954; First printing. Quarto, Hardcover , black and white photographs, maps , viii, 214 pages + maps. Condition: Near Fine. Operational narrative giving an accurate and detailed account of the Marines' participation in retaking the island of Guam in June of 1944. Well illustrated throughout with photographs and map drawings, with an additional packet of colored maps bound in at rear. Bound in glossy pictorial covers over boards with some shallow bumps at spine ends and lower fore corners, minor extremity rubs, and some light abrasions to laminate.
Book #10590
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Japan Pacific Theatre Usmc Marine Corps Combat Photographs Island Hopping Japanese
9382 . Mason, Theodore C. (Foreword by Edward L. Beach). Battleship Sailor .
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, (1982); First printing. Octavo, Full cloth , black and white photographs , xiv, 271 pages. Condition: Very Good in a Good Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Vivid memoir of the life of an enlisted man in World War II battleships. Mason was at his battle station on the mainmast of the USS California during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He had a panoramic view of the devastation that including the sinking of his own ship. Bound in red cloth over boards with spine titled in black, gray endpapers. Prior owner bookplate and single line inscription on front pastedown, blind-stamped monogram at top fore corner of front free endpaper. A few rubs to board extremities, shallow wrinkles to spine ends of book and jacket.
Book #9382
$15.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Pearl Harbor Battleships uss California USS Pennsylvania Bombardment Memoirs
4265 . Morison, Samuel Eliot. Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions, May 1942-August 1942: History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Volume IV .
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1950; First printing. Octavo, Full cloth , Black & White photographs, maps , xxiv, 307 pages. Condition: Good. No dust jacket.
Begins with the first great carrier actions of World War II as the tide began to turn in favor of the Americans in the Pacific. Morison writes a detailed account of the decisive Battle of Midway from both U.S. and Japanese sources. This is followed by the dramatic story of U.S. submarine attacks against Japanese shipping during the first year of the war. Bound in dark blue cloth over boards with gilt stamped spine lettering, dark blue topstain. Fold-out map of the Pacific Theatre on rear free endpaper. Minor extremity rubs, some white spots at lower inner corner of upper board, prior owner name penned on front free endpaper. Small bookseller label at lower inner margin of front free endpaper.
Book #4265
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Midway Aircraft Carriers Pacific Theatre U.S. Navy Submarines Naval Warfare Japanese
4158 . Morison, Samuel Eliot. The Rising Sun in the Pacific 1931-April 1942 (History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol. III) .
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1955; First printing. Octavo, Full cloth , black and white photographs, maps , xxviii, 411 pages. Condition: Good. No dust jacket.
The first of nine volumes within the overall series that deals with the U.S. Navy's war with Japan. In this volume Morison devotes considerable attention to laying out the background, the incidents that truly began the war in the Pacific, and the internal conflicts within Japan. Also makes use of data obtained from Japanese records after the war. Bound in dark blue cloth over boards with gilt stamped spine lettering, dark blue topstain. Mild external wear, some spots to cloth. Prior owner name on front free endpaper, bookseller label at lower inner margin of front free endpaper.
Book #4158
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Pearl Harbor Japan Pacific Theatre Philippines Wake Island Guam Malay barrier
8562 . Naito, Hatsuho (Translated by Mayumi Ichikawa, Foreword by James Michener). Thunder Gods: The Kamikaze Pilots Tell Their Story .
Tokyo and New York: Kodansha International, (1989); First American edition. Octavo, Full cloth , Black & White photographs, maps , 215 pages. Condition: Near Fine in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Incredible first hand account of the Japanese program of suicide attacks, both in kamikaze planes and the human-guided flying bombs of the Ohka program. Naito combines the recollections of survivors with documented history of the events. Bound in dark blue cloth over boards, endpaper maps. Spine lettered in silver foil.
Book #8562
$15.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Kamikaze Ohka program Suicide Pacific Theatre imperial command samurai flying bombs
9108 . Newell, Gordon and Allan E. Smith. Mighty Mo: The U. S. S. Missouri, a Biography of the Last Battleship .
New York: Bonanza Books, (c.1969); Reprint. Quarto, Full cloth , black & white photographs, illus. , 190 pages. Condition: Fine in a near fine dust jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Profusely illustrated story of the Battleship USS Missouri (BB-63) in World War II. Co-authored by Vice Admiral Allan E. Smith whose flagship she was. The surrender documents that ended World War II were signed on this ship's deck in Tokyo Bay.
Book #9108
$15.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II uss missouri Battleships Pacific Theatre Japanese Surrender tokyo bay Naval Battles
9998 . Noles, James L., Jr. Twenty-Three Minutes to Eternity: The Final Voyage of the Escort Carrier USS Liscome Bay .
Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, (2004); First printing. Octavo, Hardcover , black and white photographs, map , xi, 250 pages. Condition: Fine in a fine dust jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector. The USS Liscome Bay and many of her crew were lost to a Japanese submarine attack on November 24, 1943 during Operation Galvanic in the Gilbert Islands. It was her first combat operation. Noles tells the story of the ship and her crew based on interviews with survivors and an unpublished memoir by the ship's pay officer. Bound in black paper over boards with spine titled in dark blue foil. No significant wear.
Book #9998
$25.00 order or inquire WW2 World Theatre Ww2 War II Pacific Submarines Torpedoes Operation Galvanic Gilbert Islands Japan Aircraft Carriers
6245 . Pentland, Geoffrey. Wirraway and Boomerang Markings (Series 3 No. 2, Historic Aircraft Books) .
Dandenong: Kookaburra Technical Publications, (1970). Octavo, Wrappers , B&w photographs, colored drawings , 24 pages. Condition: Very Good. Well illustrated booklet giving detailed information on the painting, camouflage, and marking schemes used on these Royal Australian Air Force planes in World War II. Numerous wartime photographs of the planes, along with colored drawings, camouflage diagrams, and explanatory text. Essential reference for model makers. Color pictorial covers, stapled binding. A few minor extremity rubs.
Book #6245
$15.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Aviation RAAF Royal Australian Air Force Airplanes Camouflage marking schemes Models
10338 . [Raithel, Albert L., Jr., David Rinehart, and Robert M. Smith]. Mariner/Marlin: "anywhere, anytime" .
(Paducah, KY): (Turner Publishing Company), (1993); First printing. Folio, Hardcover , black and white photographs , 168 pages. Condition: Fine. Pictorial history of these two great Navy flying boats, making extensive use of the Kammen Report. In addition to the history of these planes there is a section at rear including incident reports, a Mariner/Marlin Association roster, and biographies of Mariner/Marlin veterans, several with "then and now" photographs. Bound in glossy pictorial covers. Very shallow bumps to lower fore corners. Clean and tight.
Book #10338
$65.00 order or inquire Military Aircraft World War II Aviation Pacific Theatre pbm glenn l martin aircraft Pilots seaplanes
5889 . Rusbridger, James and Eric Nave. Betrayal at Pearl Harbor: How Churchill Lured Roosevelt into World War II .
New York: Summit Books, (1991); First printing. Octavo, Hardcover , b&w photographs, facsimiles , 302 pages. Condition: Fine in a Very Good Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector.
Analysis of British and American efforts to break the Japanese naval code (JN-25) in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, with some startling revelations about the mystery of the unpreparedness of U.S. Black paper over boards with red cloth spine, gilt stamped spine lettering. Jacket has a few shallow edge wrinkles and some fading to spine. Several appendices, good bibliography.
Book #5889
$11.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Pearl Harbor Japanese Intelligence Cryptanalysis Codebreaking Magic Pacific Theatre
9773 . Sauer, Howard. The Last Big-Gun Naval Battle: The Battle of Surigao Strait .
Palo Alto: Glencannon Press, 1999; First printing. Octavo, Full cloth , black and white photographs, maps , xvi, 206 pages. Condition: Fine in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. Jacket in Mylar protector. Sauer was an officer aboard the 16-inch gun battleship USS Maryland (BB-46) and gives his eyewitness account of the Surigao action. His behind-the-guns view is particularly interesting because he captures much of what the battle meant to the crew. The battle line at Surigao included five battleships that had been attacked at Pearl Harbor and the Maryland was one of these. Bound in dark blue cloth over boards with spine and upper board titled in gilt. Jacket has a couple of shallow edge wrinkles.
Book #9773
$45.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Pacific Theatre Leyte Gulf Battleships uss maryland eyewitness accounts Gunnery Kamikaze
10233 . Sweet, Donald H. Seaplanes at War: A Treasury of Words and Pictures .
Burnsville, NC: Celo Valley Books, 1999; First printing. Quarto, Wrappers , black and white photographs , xxiv, 174 pages. Condition: Near Fine. Story of the Martin PBM mariner by an aircrewman in a patrol bombing squadron during World War II. Illustrated with many historic photographs. Glossy pictorial paper covers with a few tiny extremity rubs.
Book #10233
$40.00 order or inquire WW2 World War II Aviation VPB Airplanes Bombers Pilots Pacific Theatre Japanese
9937 . [World War II]. Log Book of the U.S.S. Missouri, BB-63, for the Year 1945 .
(S.l.): (s.n.), 1945. Quarto, Binder , over 1,200 pages. Condition: Very good. This is a photocopy of the complete monthly Log Books of the battleship Missouri for the year 1945. Each monthly section opens with an updated list of officers. Detailed information on every move the ship made. Info on the surrender ceremony and signing which ended World War II on the deck of the Missouri, 2 September 1945. Bound in a screw post binder with green covers. Stamped "Unclassified" in several places. Covers show minor extremity rubs.
Book #9937
$150.00 order or inquire WW2 World Theatre Ww2 War II Pacific Japan Surrender Battleships Uss Missouri Logbooks Naval Warfare
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