Description: The Longest Day: June6, 1944, by Cornelius Ryan. Simon and Schuster: New York, 6” x 9.25” (8vo), 350 pp. Black cloth spine and cloth and hardcover boards, with silver text and pictorial signature. Battlefield maps on front and rear end papers. FIRST EDITION and FIRST PRINTING, as specified on copyright page. Numerous photographic plates. Epic narrative of a turning point in American history. Sought-after first edition… suitable as an investment book or bespoke gift. (See other 1st Ed. copies on Ebay and bibliophile websites priced up to $1000 [w/ DJ].)Outstanding collector’s condition. Very Good. Binding tight, fully intact and firm. Cover corner edges are sharp, with no visible edge wear. Faint scuff across spine (see photo; near middle star). Interior is bright and clean, but for one faint fingermark on title page. Gift signature (“To Charlie from Iris, Christmas 1959”) on title page and ownership label 2 pages later (see photo). About the Book: "The Longest Day is a 1959 book by Cornelius Ryan telling the story of D-Day, the first day of the World War II invasion of Normandy. It details the coup de main operation by gliderborne troops, which captured the Caen canal and Orne River bridges (Pegasus Bridge and Horsa Bridge) before the main assault on the Normandy beaches. It sold tens of millions of copies in eighteen different languages. It is based on interviews with a cross-section of participants, including U.S., Canadian, British, French and German officers and civilians. Researchers spent almost three years locating survivors of D-Day and over 3000 interviews were undertaken in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France and Germany. 383 accounts of D-Day were used in the text of the book. Simon and Shuster published The Longest Day in November 1959 with a first printing of 85,000 copies. The book was reprinted numerous times as it spent 22 weeks on The New York Times Best Sellers list.” (from Wikipedia) About the Author: “Cornelius Ryan (1920-1974) was an Irish-American journalist and author known mainly for writing popular military history. He was especially known for his histories of World War II events: The Longest Day: 6 June 1944 D-Day (1959), The Last Battle (1966), and A Bridge Too Far (1974). Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, he began working as a journalist in London in 1940. He became involved in covering World War II and travelled with troops in Europe. After the war, he covered the establishment of Israel. He immigrated to the United States in 1947 to work for Time. In 1951 Ryan became a naturalized US citizen and lived there for the remainder of his life.” (from Wikipedia) This is another listing from "Nana's Top Shelf," a collection of first editions and other fine volumes collected over a lifetime from estate sales and booksellers across the East Coast and Europe. We recently acquired a collection of 19th and early 20th century history books, historical biographies, and militaria. We will ship USPS Media Mail with added insurance. For international shipping, please contact us for a quote. We proudly ship in reused Amazon boxes whenever possible. If you have any questions about this or any of our books, feel free to contact us and/or request additional photos.
Price: 125 USD
Location: Davis, California
End Time: 2025-01-16T02:54:49.000Z
Shipping Cost: 7.63 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Binding: Hardcover
Origin: American
Language: English
Special Attributes: 1st Edition, Dust Jacket, Illustrated
Author: Cornelius Ryan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Topic: WWII (1939-45)
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Subject: Military & War
Character Family: N/A
Year Printed: 1959