Under the Red Sea Sun

New York, NY: Dodd, Mead & Company. Very Good in Very Good- dust jacket. 1946. First Edition; First Printing. Hardcover. First Edition (1946) , unstated in accordance with Dodd, Mead's customary practice at the time of publication. Very Good in a Very Good- DJ: The Book shows mild shelf-rubbing along the bottom edge of the blue cloth over boards; a thin, very faint line at the top edge of the text block which may be a remainder mark; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of any underlining, hi-lighting or marginalia or marks in the text. Free of ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, or labels. A handsome, carefully-used copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, showing mild wear and minor cosmetic imperfections. The mark (or stain) at the top edge is a concern. The DJ shows small loss to chipping at the head and heel of the backstrip and less to the corner tips; a short, closed tear near the lower front corner; the price ($3.50) is intact; mylar-protected. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. (8.65 x 6 x 1.45 inches). Language: English. Weight: 27 ounces. Deckle fore-edge. Map-Decorated endpapers of Massawa Harbor, Eritrea. Hardback with DJ. A gripping first-hand description of the salvage operations at the port of Massawa on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea during the early days of World War II. When forced from the region, Italian troops had scuttled many ships to block the important harbour, which was vital to the British war effort. Ellsberg, an American salvage officer, was placed in charge and a small group of workers under his direction accomplished an almost Herculean task with virtually no resources. The book paints a realistic picture of confusion and incompetence in the early days of the war. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; ix, 500 pages .