Queens Die Proudly

New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1943. Very Good condition. Light cover wear. NO owner's name or bookplate. NOT a library discard. NOT a remainder. Pages are clean and unmarked. NO foxing. NO underlining. NO highlighting. NO margin notes. Endpaper maps of WW2's South Pacific. Bound in the original blue cloth, stamped in bright red on the spine. From the Kirkus review from June 1943: "He has done it again -- has W. L. White, author of THEY WERE EXPENDABLE. This time he has taken the incredible story of the Flying Fortresses in these terrific days when most of our air force in the Pacific died on the ground at Clark Field and elsewhere, leaving a handful of stalwarts and a few battle-scarred planes, Again -- as in the Battle of Britain - 'never have so many owed so much to so few' -- for these few held the southwest Pacific against incredible odds. Fatigue and momentary peril of death and hope destroyed and over-strained equipment could not defeat them. From the Philippines to the siege of Javal Island fortresses and open sea; the deserts of Australia and the tiny outpost of Darwin -- the flying Fortresses battered the enemy and left their soars. But in the process many of these queens of the air 'died proudly.' White tells the story -- as he told the story of the PT boats -- through the words of the man who survived and who now form the crew of Brett's transport plane, the 'grissled old Flying Portress -- the Swoose.' It in a superb story, with all the heartache and the humanity and the gallantry and the fears and the drama of those early months of what was then a losing battle. All that has been done since was built on what those few gave -- and White makes you feel it, as he did in THEY WERE EXPENDABLE. A more complex story, perhaps -- more technical at times. But what a challenge to Americans everywhere. Sure to top sales in a runaway.". First Edition (so stated). Hardcover. Very Good condition/No dust jacket. Illus. by NOT a library discard. 8vo. (x), 273pp. Great Packaging, Fast Shipping.