WAVY NAVY, BY SOME WHO SERVED (Deluxe Limited Edition, Signed by Admiral Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope)

London: George G. Harrap & Co, 1950

8vo, 263pp. Full-leather hardcover binding, 5 raised bands, gilt lettering to spine, gilt inlay to front board, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt. With full-colour frontispiece and 5 full-colour plates, collated and complete.

Deluxe limited edition of 260 copies, of which this is no. 13. Signed by Admiral of the Fleet, Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope.

As Admiral of the Fleet Lord Cunningham reminds us in his foreword to this unique record of first-hand experience of World War 2, RNVR officers outnumbered their straight gold laced brethren by three to one, and HO (hostilities only) ratings were in similar proportion.

Serving in all parts of the world, in every kind of vessel, surface, submarine, in the air and even the scarcely known Land Incident Section of those trained at HMS Vernon to make safe unexploded bombs and mines in London’s East End and elsewhere, the accounts given here are of discomfort, danger and death against a background of camaraderie and good humour. (https://www.naval-review.com/book-reviews)

Condition: Very good. Slight rubbing and a few minor scuff marks to boards and spine, slight and superficial cracking to tops and bottoms of the hinges. Very slight bowing to rear board. Non-authorial inscription to previous owner on verso of front endpaper, previous owner’s bookplate on half title page. Browning to edges of half title page and to last blank page. Deckled edges. Text and plates are clean. Well bound.

Reserve: $90

Estimate: $90-100