THE DISCOVERY OF THE BISMARCK.

UK,Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/NFINE.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour photographic illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Head+foot of spine/ backstrip minisculely bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top+fore-edges bright and clean,contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear creases to any pages' corners.Bright,clean,unblemished, publisher's original,dark blue cloth bds with bright,crisp,stamped gilt letters to upper bd+spine/backstrip,headband, and clean,blue+white illustrated eps. UK, Qrto HB+dw/dj,1st edn,8-231pp [paginated] includes intro by Ludovic Kennedy,12 chapters includes prologue+epilogue,profuse illustrations (400+) throughout the text and the book comprising full-colour maps, charts and diagrams,foldouts,appendix and an index. "Titanic team finds Bismarck" ran the headlines on June 14,1989, announcing Robert Ballard's discovery of Hitler's greatest battleship. Using the same underwater camera vehicle that had discovered the wreck of the Titanic in 1985,Ballard and his team photographed the Bismarck sitting proudly upright three miles below the surface of the Atlantic off the coast of France.It had taken two years,two separate expeditions,and a painstaking survey of over 100 square miles of seafloor before the legendary German warship was finally spotted. Ballard's remote-controlled cameras captured the scene with brilliant, clear images for all time.Standing on the side of an underwater mountain,surrounded by an enormous landslide that occurred almost fifty years ago when the 50,000 ton battleship collided with the ocean bottom,the Bismarck's huge guns point eerily upward and giant swastikas still defiantly emblazon her bow and stern decks. The story of the Bismarck is one of the most compelling sea sagas of WWII.In May 1941,a shell fired from this sleek new German ship struck the battle-cruiser HMS Hood and within minutes the pride of the British navy was utterly destroyed.An enraged Winston Churchill gave the memorable command to "sink the Bismarck!" - mobilising the British navy into the greatest sea chase of the war.'The Discovery of the Bismarck' recreates the unforgettable story of this great sea battle with historic photographs and the words of the men who fought it.Ballard then gives a dramatic first-hand account of the high-tech hunt for the Bismarck that culminated in its thrilling rediscovery - forty-eight years after it was sent to the bottom. With over 400 illustrations this book has all the pictorial richness that helped make Robert Ballard's previous book,'The Discovery of the Titanic',an international bestseller.Fascinating "then and now" features pair photographs of the Bismarck in 1989 with accurate pictures from 1941; two spectacular full-page foldouts show the Nazi warship in all her fearsome glory and as she looks today (then 1990).Full-colour maps, charts and diagrams throughout plus a host of specially commissioned paintings recreate a remarkable chapter in the history of WWII and illuminate the fascinating world of modern deep-sea exploration. Please contact rpaxtonden@blueyonder.co.uk ,because of the weight and value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!