Kelly, C. Brian, Ed. (Ed Crews, Sherman L. Fleek, Charles W. Gardner, Kenneth P. Czech, Nicholas Shoumatoff, Peter A. Kiss, Ronald McGlothlen, William R. Trotter, Darryl R. Martin.) Listings

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	1 Kelly, C. Brian, ed. (Ed Crews, Sherman L. Fleek, Charles W. Gardner, Kenneth P. Czech, Nicholas Shoumatoff, Peter A. Kiss, Ronald McGlothlen, William R. Trotter, Darryl R. Martin.) MILITARY HISTORY. DECEMBER 1989. Empire Press, Leesburg, VA, 1989.  74 pp, 10 7/8" H, soft cover (magazine format - stapled in wraps). Profusely illustrated in color and b&w with photographs, reproductions, ads. Articles include: the crossbow; siege of the Turks in Buda, tank warfare, Quaker General Nathanael Gree ne in the American Revolution, interview with Colonel Ray C. Allen on Christmas morning at the Bulge, Confederate Navy, Sir Richard Granville's battle with Spanish warships off Flores, etc. Interior - light cigarette odor, minor browning to p a g e s , clean and tight with no previous ownership marks. Exterior - very light browning to edges of textblock, light edge wear on spine, very light browning on rear cover, very small closed tear on front cover - archivally taped. Very Good  Price: 5.00 USD Add to Shopping Cart
	2 Gardner, Brian. THE BIG PUSH: A PORTRAIT OF THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME. Cassell, London, 1961, first edition.  177 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H), hard cover in dust jacket. B&w photographs, maps. "At half past seven on the morning of the first of July 1916, along a front extending for eighteen miles in the valley of the Somme, an intensive bombardment which had conti nued since dawn lifted, and fourteen divisions of British troops stumbled out of their trenches to attack the enemy. This was the climax of Sir Douglas Haig's carefully conceived plan to break the interminable deadlock of trench warfare on the W e s t ern Front, and score a resounding and dramatic victory over the German forces. Haig's design foundered within a few hours among the defences of Fricourt, La Boisells, and Thiepval, at the appalling cost of twenty thousand British soldiers kil le d an d thirty-five thousand wounded. - But the official dates for The Battle of the Somme are from 1st July to 18th, November 1916. The 'Big Push' went on, the preliminary bombardments, the attacks, the horrifying slaughter - every single casual ty be ing measured in terms of individual pain, misery, and sacrifice. Belief in the High Command that prolonged shelling must reduce an entrenched enemy to inertia and impotence, easy prey for advancing infantry, died hard. It persisted througho ut the aut umn and into the following year, when the same ghastly pattern was repeated at Passchendaele. It was not fully discredited till the full potential of armoured vehicles was realized and military concepts, bred in minor theatres of war be for e th e tur n of the century, were rejected. - (This book) provides a critical, and immensely readable analysis of the policy, planning, and action of the British and French armies at the Battle of the Somme, a battle in which the casualties of the Briti sh arm y alone exceeded those suffered by it during the whole of the Second World War. An important historical account of a great military blunder, it is also a vivid portrait of the tragedy, the unspeakable horror, and the courage, which are commo n to an y war at any time, but which were peculiarly intensified in France and Flanders from 1914 to 1918." Book is lightly cocked, has light edge wear at top/bottom of spine and at corners, light wrinkling at top/bottom of spine, light brow ning on edges o f text block. Dust jacket has been price clipped, has moderate edge wear, tiny chips/tears at top/bottom of spine and flap-folds, light soiling at top/bottom edges, two scuffs on rear panel, old tape on inside of top/bottom o f spin e. Very Good-/Go od+  Price: 15.00 USD Add to Shopping Cart
	3 Gardner, Brian. THE EAST INDIA COMPANY: A HISTORY. Rupert Hart-Davis, London, 1971, first edition.  319 pp, 8vo (8 3/4" H), hard cover in dust jacket. ISBN 024664043X B&w plates, maps. "There has never been a company like the East India Company: it ruled over nearly one-fifth of the world's population, possessed its own army and navy, its own c ivil service, and even its own church. It became the greatest military power in Asia and had a revenue larger than that of Great Britain itself. This is the story of the London merchants who, in their persistent and dogged quest for trade with t h e East, struggled with misunderstanding and suspicion, rivalry with the French and the collapse of the authority of the Indian emperors. The Company brought the brilliant military conquests of men like Robert Dlive and Warren Hastings, and th e a cq ui sitions of Sir Stamford Raffles and men who spent their entire careers in its service. There were the conquests of the Wellesleys, the intrigues and battles for power with the British government, the prejudice and envy inspired by the re tu rn hom e o f wealthy retired employees, and the compromise which ended in the appointment of government selected Governors-General. The story of the East India Company is one of adventure, triumph and disaster, pride and loyalty, that spans more th an two hund red years of British history: it is also the story of the foundation of the British Empire in India." One small corner bump. Dust jacket has minor edge wear/wrinkling at top/bottom of hinges and flap-folds. Very Good/Very Good+  Price: 15.00 USD Add to Shopping Cart
	4 Haining, Peter, compiler. (Sir Ralph Sorley, 'Johnnie' Johnson, Eric Marrs, John Allen, 'Gun Buster', Gavin Lyall, Ronald Adams, Charles Gardner, Sir Douglas Bader, Brian Kingcome, R.F. Hamlyn, Quentin Reynolds, Adolf Galland, H.E. Bates, et al.) THE SPITFIRE LOG: A TRIBUTE TO THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS FIGHTER PLANE. Futura, London, 1990, reprint.  160 pp, 7 3/4" H, soft cover. B&w illustrations. ISBN 0708844383 "On 6 March 1936 was born one of the most famous and best-loved aeroplanes the world has ever known, the Spitfire. Just four years later its courageous young RAF pilots became the heroes of the Battle of Britain as they repelled the Luftwaffe attack. When, at the heigh of the conflict, supplies of metal for new Spitfires ran short, thousands of people donated old pots and pans for the sake of the gallant fighter. Today the Spitfire is still remembered with affection by all who flew in her. This tribute brings together a fascianting collection of writings by men who flew or admired her, from the top Allied flying ace of the Second World War, Air Vice Marshal 'Johnnie' Johnson, to his German counterpart, General Major Adolf Galland, and from such illustrious names as H.E. Bates, Richard Hillary, Lord Beaverbrook and Richard Dimbleby. As well as thrilling accounts of aerial combat the book includes a Battle o f B r itain chronology, a list of the twenty Spitfire squadrons and their bases, the plane's specifications, the story of its creation and a list of museums where Spitfires can now be seen." Interior - light cigarette odor, very light browning to pa g es , otherwise clean and tight with no previous owner's marks. Exterior - light browning to edges of text block, minor edge wear, soft crease at top of front cover. Very Good  Price: 10.00 USD Add to Shopping Cart