Combat Over Corregidor - New release!!
Nov 3, 2021 13:07:17 GMT 8
Karl Welteke, chadhill, and 1 more like this
Post by EXO on Nov 3, 2021 13:07:17 GMT 8
"Combat Over Corregidor" is a tribute to the humanity, camaraderie, teamwork and strength of purpose of the ordinary American citizen soldier on Corregidor rather than a sequential retelling of individual battles on a distantly relevant Philippine battlefield. During the immediate months after Corregidor, it's author, Charles Bradford M.D, completed a manuscript of his own experiences he'd commenced writing on The Rock. It was, and remains the only manuscript actually written first hand on Corregidor. The manuscript was never published under his name, though. It became a dog-eared typewritten document, privately handed around between the paratroopers, a private secret shared among the members of the Rock Force. At his insistence, it was referred to by those who wrote about the retaking of Corregidor as "Anonymous Manuscript."
After his passing, a copy of the manuscript came into my possession, and I approached Dr. Bradford's Estate for permission to publish the manuscript under his name. Permission was given, and I approached John Lindgren and Bill Calhoun to assist in identifying the paratroopers that Dr. Bradford had referred to in the text only by the first letter of their surnames. We also worked together on a commentary, and John Lindgren wrote an introductory chapter for the book.
I published an edition in 2007 which contained all the "States Photos" taken of the men who had fought (and survived) the Corregidor mission, taken on their return to Mindoro. Further improvements (additional relevant images) were made as the years passed. and my ability to improve on my earlier designs improved. These latter versions were packed with images, and were printed by the Blurb company, which specialized in the "print on demand" market. Unfortunately, 'print on demand' books from whatever company all share one characteristic - they are poisonously expensive. I'm sure there are good reasons for this, but life's a b i t c h isn't it?
Lately, I decided that it was time to take advantage of a new style of product, a 'pocket book' printing, which offers a cheap, black & white text version sandwiched inside a soft cover. The sort of book you might see in an airport bookstore when you are looking for something to read on a long flight. It is the sort of book you can take on a holiday with you, and read it quickly.
The main benefit of the softcover edition is that I have been able to price it at under twenty bucks. It still includes 75 pages of images, though in the "cheap charlie" version these are in B&W only. There is a "dress circle" hard cover edition for those who want the color images taken by Lt. William Bailey, but that costs more as the production costs reflect the hard cover binding, cover style and upgraded color paper stock.
If you haven't read Dr. Bradford's Combat Over Corregidor, then you should.
After his passing, a copy of the manuscript came into my possession, and I approached Dr. Bradford's Estate for permission to publish the manuscript under his name. Permission was given, and I approached John Lindgren and Bill Calhoun to assist in identifying the paratroopers that Dr. Bradford had referred to in the text only by the first letter of their surnames. We also worked together on a commentary, and John Lindgren wrote an introductory chapter for the book.
I published an edition in 2007 which contained all the "States Photos" taken of the men who had fought (and survived) the Corregidor mission, taken on their return to Mindoro. Further improvements (additional relevant images) were made as the years passed. and my ability to improve on my earlier designs improved. These latter versions were packed with images, and were printed by the Blurb company, which specialized in the "print on demand" market. Unfortunately, 'print on demand' books from whatever company all share one characteristic - they are poisonously expensive. I'm sure there are good reasons for this, but life's a b i t c h isn't it?
Lately, I decided that it was time to take advantage of a new style of product, a 'pocket book' printing, which offers a cheap, black & white text version sandwiched inside a soft cover. The sort of book you might see in an airport bookstore when you are looking for something to read on a long flight. It is the sort of book you can take on a holiday with you, and read it quickly.
The main benefit of the softcover edition is that I have been able to price it at under twenty bucks. It still includes 75 pages of images, though in the "cheap charlie" version these are in B&W only. There is a "dress circle" hard cover edition for those who want the color images taken by Lt. William Bailey, but that costs more as the production costs reflect the hard cover binding, cover style and upgraded color paper stock.
If you haven't read Dr. Bradford's Combat Over Corregidor, then you should.