RtL Jan. Book Sale - REDUCED!

[Rick the Librarian]

25% OFF remaining books!!!

UPDATED to reflect previous sales: Books no longer listed are sold, pending arrival of funds.

Attached are a nice group of books for winter reading at a fraction of retail new prices. I have a large number of books on World War II and military history, as well as other subjects. I had so many WWII books I had to divide them by theatre! Watch carefully, as there are several “bundle” offers to be had!

A) Payment can be made by check or money order. I may have to hold checks until they clear unless you are known to me. Paypal can be used, but a 4% premium will be added to offset fees charged by Paypal unless you do it as a gift/family.

B) All prices do not include shipping. Shipping is done by USPS Media Mail, which I have found economical and secure and now comes with tracking numbers. I will quote a shipping price, when you make an offer. Insurance is optional. Although I pack and ship very carefully, I can’t be responsible if you don’t insure large purchases.

C) Books vary in condition and I do my best to describe them properly. Books are hard-backed unless otherwise mentioned. Any questions will be gladly answered. I will also provide reasonable pictures of the books or their content if you want. Obviously, “I’ll take it” trumps over “Can you send me more information?” 

D) When you contact me about these books, please inquire by book title, not number. You can contact me through this forum or at –rrsbls@msn.com-- (remove dashes)

E) Books are for sale on several forums. When two people offer to buy the same book or books, the earlier email/PM is considered first. I try to update this list to show purchased books at least once a day.


I. “Rick’s Picks”


9. “Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing” by Frank Vandiver. This hard to find two-volume This National Book Award finalist traces the life of the general whose career began on the western frontier and culminated with victory in a world war. Using both domestic and foreign sources, many heretofore untapped, Frank Vandiver focuses on the qualities of and challenges to Pershing the soldier without losing sight of the man who wore the uniform. Vandiver gives special attention to Pershing's stint as head of the Bureau of Insular Affairs, his fourteen years' service in the Far East, and his unusual role as manager-organizer of the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Near new, $40.00 REDUCED to $30.00


II. World War II: Pacific Theatre

5. “Eagle Against the Sun” by Ronald Spector (G) Spector focuses on the major battles in the Pacific theater as well as the smaller details, from the various rivalries between branches of the U.S. armed services to the problems of command and allocating resources. Spector has written "the best one-volume history of that complex conflict" (The New York Times). Ex.- near new, (no d/j): $8.95 REDUCED to $6.70

6. “Left for Dead: A Young Man’s Search for Justice for the Indianapolis” by Pete Nelson. (G) This fascinating book explains how the research of 11-year-old Hunter Scott who was inspired by a passing reference in the movie Jaws uncovered the truth behind a historic WWII naval disaster aboard the USS Indianapolis and led to the reversal of the wrongful court martial of the ship's captain. A full-color photographic inset and a preface by the now 17-year-old Scott round out the volume. Trade ppk., Near new, $6.95 REDUCED to $5.20

7. “Fatal Voyage: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis” by Dan Kurzman. (G) Shortly after midnight on July 30, 1945, the Navy cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in the Philippine Sea. The ship had just left the island of Tinian, delivering components of the atomic bomb destined for Hiroshima. As the torpedoes hit, the Indianapolis erupted into a fiery coffin, sinking in less than fifteen minutes and leaving nine hundred crewmen fighting for life in shark-infested waters. Plastic cover but non-library – former owner’s name on outside. VG=ex otherwise, $6.00 REDUCED to $4.50

8. “In Harm’s Way” by Doug Stanton (G) On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was torpedoed in the South Pacific by a Japanese submarine. An estimated 300 men were killed upon impact; close to 900 sailors were cast into the Pacific Ocean, where they remained undetected by the navy for nearly four days and nights. Battered by a savage sea, they struggled to stay alive, fighting off sharks, hypothermia, and dementia. Near new, $6.50

***Bundle Price*** -- Buy ALL THREE Indianapolis books and pay just $14.95 REDUCED to $11.20

9. “At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” by Gordon Prange. (G) At 7:53 a.m., December 7, 1941, America's national consciousness and confidence were rocked as the first wave of Japanese warplanes took aim at the U.S. Naval fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor. As intense and absorbing as a suspense novel, At Dawn We Slept is the unparalleled and exhaustive account of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is widely regarded as the definitive assessment of the events surrounding one of the most daring and brilliant naval operations of all time. 800+ pages. Trade ppk., VG, $5.95 REDUCED to $4.50

10. “Infamy: Pearl Harbor and It’s Aftermath” by John Toland. (G) Investigates the military, political, and historical ramifications of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, examining the unpreparedness of the United States, the cover-up following the disaster, and other important aspects of the attack and its effects. Toland claims there was a conspiracy. VG, $7.00 REUCED to $5.25

15. “Kamikaze: Japan’s Suicide Samurai”. By Raymond Lamont Brown. Why did Japan resort to Kamikaze attacks from air and sea? Was it a long-standing policy founded in history or a last-ditch action by a nation facing defeat? How were the recruits found and trained? How were the raids reported at home and by the enemy? This volume deals with all these questions. All elements of the aviation and naval actions are described. Near new Paperback, $3.95 REDUCED to $2.95

16. March Anson and Scoot Bailey of the U.S. Navy; (Fighters for freedom series) by Gregory Duncan. (G). One of the series of books written for youngsters in the 1940s that tell the fictional story of two young men who join the US Navy – one to be a submariner, one to be a flier. A good look at young WWII fiction on that era. G, $4.00 REDUCED to $3.00

17. “Implacable Foes: The War in the Pacific, 1944-1945” by Waldo Heinrichs. On May 8, 1945, Victory in Europe Day-shortened to "V.E. Day"-brought with it the demise of Nazi Germany. But for the Allies, the war was only half-won. Exhausted but exuberant American soldiers, ready to return home, were sent to join the fighting in the Pacific, which by the spring and summer of 1945 had turned into a gruelling campaign of bloody attrition against an enemy determined to fight to the last man. Germany had surrendered unconditionally. The Japanese would clearly make the conditions of victory extraordinarily high. NEW! $12.50 REDUCED to $9.35

18. “The USS Arizona” by Joy Waldron. A sensitive and respectful portrait of the battleship Arizona in peacetime, in war, and as a "symbol of American loss and American courage." The introduction relates how each author was drawn to the ship's story. Jasper is an investigative journalist who devoted nearly a decade to locating and interviewing Arizona survivors; Delgado is a maritime archaeologist; and Adams, a retired U.S. Marine, son of an Arizona survivor, and an accomplished diver affiliated with the National Park Service's stewardship of the memorial. PPK. $3.95 REDUCED to $2.95


III, World War II – European Theatre

9. “The Fall of Berlin” by Anthony Beevor. Beevor writes in this richly detailed reconstruction of events in the final days of Adolf Hitler's Berlin. Following savage years of campaigns in Russia, the Nazi regime had not only failed to crush Bolshevism, it had brought the Soviet army to the very gates of the capital. That army, ill-fed and hungry for vengeance, unloosed its fury on Berlin just a month later in a long siege that would cost hundreds of thousands of lives on both sides. Near new, trade ppk., 6.95 REDUCED to $5.20

12. “Air Power at Sea 1939-1945” by John Winton. (G) A global history of the air war at sea during WWII. Many illustrations. VG, $6.95 REDUCED to $5.20


IV. General and General Military History

3. “Honor in the Dust” by Gregg Jones. Fitting his research of primary military documents into a wider narrative of the war’s effect on domestic American politics, Jones’ attentiveness to the latter importantly reminds readers of the popular backing the war had—confirmed by its Republican Party advocates’ victory in the 1900 election—which should ameliorate the general disrepute of the war and America’s colonial episode among current historical commentators. Jones shows himself a quite evenhanded presenter of contemporary anti- and pro-imperial exponents. VG trade ppk. $4.95 REDUCED to $3.70

4. “Naval Aircraft, 1914-1939” by Louis Casey. A magazine-sized and formatted book detailing the history of early naval aircraft up to the start of WWII. Numerous pictures and drawings, Trade ppk., $4.50 REDUCED to $3.35

6. “Mayday: The Decline of American Naval Supremacy” by Seth Cropsey. (G) In this powerful and alarming defense of American seapower, longtime Navy insider Seth Cropsey blows the whistle on America's weakening naval might in the twenty-first century and the potential havoc this could wreak on world trade. Near new, $9.00 REDUCED to $6.75

[Rick the Librarian]

List updated. --RtL