Silent Victory.

Egan · 02-18-07, 11:51 AM

I wondered into one of my local second hand bookshops this afternoon with the idea of seeing if they had any books about the Eastern Front and try to pick up a couple of novels on the cheap.

What did i run into? what looks to be a US first edition of Clay Blair's seminal work 'Silent Victory.' Hardback with strange see through blue plastic dust-cover on it. Absolutely mint condition. I'm asuming that it is a first edition as it's publised date was 1975 and the British first edition seems to be '78 or so...anyway, i digress. The price? 10 quid..

I have his two U-boat ones of course, but i've never really had the opprtunity to get my hads on this one before.

I almost feel bad about taking it at the price it was seeing as it's an Oxfam bookshop. They have some great stuff in there from time to time though: A couple of years ago they had these amazing black and white photographs that seemed to have been taken by someone serving in the RN during WW2: Photos of Destroyers on Depth charge runs, British subs at their tenders, Coastal command aircraft and carriers...had I had the money I would have bought them all. I didn't even buy one of them as it seemed sort of wrong to break them up. I can only guess that whoever took them died and their children donated them. Such a shame..

I've had a good year for tracking down second hand military books. Earlier on I got copies of Aces High (About the Air war in WW1) by Alan Clarke and the classic 'Fly for your life,' about Robert Stanford Tuck. That one is first edition as well. I'm getting good at this!

AirborneTD · 02-18-07, 12:43 PM

Awesome find!! SV is my favorite Pacific Campaign sub book. BTW, I also have "Fly For Your Life". Great book of a terrific pilot.

cdrsubron7 · 02-19-07, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Egan

I wondered into one of my local second hand bookshops this afternoon with the idea of seeing if they had any books about the Eastern Front and try to pick up a couple of novels on the cheap.

What did i run into? what looks to be a US first edition of Clay Blair's seminal work 'Silent Victory.' Hardback with strange see through blue plastic dust-cover on it. Absolutely mint condition. I'm asuming that it is a first edition as it's publised date was 1975 and the British first edition seems to be '78 or so...anyway, i digress. The price? 10 quid..

I have his two U-boat ones of course, but i've never really had the opprtunity to get my hads on this one before.

I almost feel bad about taking it at the price it was seeing as it's an Oxfam bookshop. They have some great stuff in there from time to time though: A couple of years ago they had these amazing black and white photographs that seemed to have been taken by someone serving in the RN during WW2: Photos of Destroyers on Depth charge runs, British subs at their tenders, Coastal command aircraft and carriers...had I had the money I would have bought them all. I didn't even buy one of them as it seemed sort of wrong to break them up. I can only guess that whoever took them died and their children donated them. Such a shame..

I've had a good year for tracking down second hand military books. Earlier on I got copies of Aces High (About the Air war in WW1) by Alan Clarke and the classic 'Fly for your life,' about Robert Stanford Tuck. That one is first edition as well. I'm getting good at this!

Nice find, Egan. The local library has a copy such as the one you found and I have read it many times. I bought myself a copy after it was reprinted and it sits on my desk next to my computer now. I refer to it very often. It makes great reading.

cdrsubron7

Egan · 02-19-07, 12:52 PM

I'm only a chapter or two into it so far but very much enjoying it. It's fascinating to read about the Pearl Harbour attack from the point of view of the sub crews moored there.

ReallyDedPoet · 02-19-07, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Egan

I wondered into one of my local second hand bookshops this afternoon with the idea of seeing if they had any books about the Eastern Front and try to pick up a couple of novels on the cheap.

Great finds at these spots. Thanks for this, be nice to get a book about the War in the Pacific

02-18-07, 11:51 AM	#1
Egan Admiral Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,020 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	Silent Victory. I wondered into one of my local second hand bookshops this afternoon with the idea of seeing if they had any books about the Eastern Front and try to pick up a couple of novels on the cheap. What did i run into? what looks to be a US first edition of Clay Blair's seminal work 'Silent Victory.' Hardback with strange see through blue plastic dust-cover on it. Absolutely mint condition. I'm asuming that it is a first edition as it's publised date was 1975 and the British first edition seems to be '78 or so...anyway, i digress. The price? 10 quid.. I have his two U-boat ones of course, but i've never really had the opprtunity to get my hads on this one before. I almost feel bad about taking it at the price it was seeing as it's an Oxfam bookshop. They have some great stuff in there from time to time though: A couple of years ago they had these amazing black and white photographs that seemed to have been taken by someone serving in the RN during WW2: Photos of Destroyers on Depth charge runs, British subs at their tenders, Coastal command aircraft and carriers...had I had the money I would have bought them all. I didn't even buy one of them as it seemed sort of wrong to break them up. I can only guess that whoever took them died and their children donated them. Such a shame.. I've had a good year for tracking down second hand military books. Earlier on I got copies of Aces High (About the Air war in WW1) by Alan Clarke and the classic 'Fly for your life,' about Robert Stanford Tuck. That one is first edition as well. I'm getting good at this!

02-18-07, 12:43 PM	#2
AirborneTD Engineer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 204 Downloads: 23 Uploads: 0	Awesome find!! SV is my favorite Pacific Campaign sub book. BTW, I also have "Fly For Your Life". Great book of a terrific pilot. __________________ "You know, you might get surrounded." "We're paratroopers, Lieutenant. We're supposed to be surrounded." --Band of Brothers

02-19-07, 12:52 PM	#4
Egan Admiral Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,020 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	I'm only a chapter or two into it so far but very much enjoying it. It's fascinating to read about the Pearl Harbour attack from the point of view of the sub crews moored there.