The Cannon's Mouth: The Role of U.S. Artillery During World War II

New York, NY: Carlton Press, Inc. [A Hearthstone Book], 1973. Presumed first edition/first printing. Hardcover. Good in fair dust jacket. Signed by author. DJ has some wear, soiling, and tear at the back. Some discoloration. Inscribed to the Marshall Clagetts. Photo of Gorin as an infant laid in. 286, [2] p. Includes: illustrations, maps. Glossary of abbreviations. Introduction by Maj. Gen. Thomas E. de Shazo, Ret. Marshall Clagett (January 23, 1916, Washington, D.C. October 21, 2005, Princeton, New Jersey) was an American historian of science who specialized in medieval science. Edward Grant ranks him "among the greatest historians and scholars of the twentieth century." From an obituary posted on-line: "Lewis Gorin was a descendant of the Revolutionary War general Artemus Ward and a man who was later active in the Sons of the American Revolution, the Society of the Colonial Wars and the Society of the Cincinnati, Mr. Gorin saw himself as the consummate patriot, one who would willingly answer his country's call in time of war, accept his soldier's pay, then return to civilian life without feeling entitled to further feedings at the public trough. As he had expected, when the United States did go to war, Mr. Gorin, along with the vast majority of the former Veterans of Future Wars, went with it, serving as an artillery captain in Italy, France and Germany and later writing and publishing ''The Cannon's Mouth, '' a history of field artillery in World War II. After the war, he accepted an offer from a childhood friend, Billy Reynolds, to join the family's aluminum company, Reynolds Metals, and became an executive with its international subsidiary, first in Louisville, where he made an abortive run for Congress in the 1950's, later in Bermuda and ultimately in Richmond, Va. After his retirement in 1981, he returned to Louisville, operated a farm in southern Kentucky and continued to amuse his friends with his geniality and once-renowned wit.