This is my favorite look for a good book. The cover is understated. Globe, eagle, anchor. The spine’s lettering has worn with age and is only readable to those who already know what the book is. There’s a mystery to that on the shelf that I enjoy.

This is a first edition. Dated May 1946.

For that vintage, it’s in remarkable condition. The edges of the cover are rounded from time, and the top and bottom edges of the spine are softened and rounded. However, the map on the inside cover is vibrant. The pages are free from dog ears and tears. Small, occasional stains appear on some pages. Often, they fade into the background and match the yellow-tint of the stock used for the pages. On the bottom of the back cover is a 1” mark from what appears to have been an abrasion. No book cover/sleeve available.

The book is the seminal chronicling of the Marine Corps’ actions in the Pacific theater of World War II. Written by six Marine combat correspondents who actually fought with the six Marine Divisions across the Pacific. It’s not some polished postwar narrative shaped by committees; these guys were there for Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa — the meat grinders. They are proud, as Marines are, but they’re honest.