D Day (1944)

First Edition of John Gunther's D Day, 1944

Gunther, John. D Day. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1944.

Octavo. Hardcover. 1st Edition.

First edition of acclaimed journalist John Gunther's book contextualizing the Allied invasion of Sicily. Perhaps best known for his 1949 memoir about the death of his son from a brain tumor, Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther's early years were spent on journalistic endeavors at the Chicago Daily News. When the Daily News refused to make him their Europe correspondent, Gunther moved to London and quickly secured a job with the London bureau, achieving his original aim. After the publication of Inside Europe in 1936, everything changed for Gunther. He came to be regarded as one of the leading authorities on the sociopolitical situation in Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Gunther quit the newspaper business and devoted himself to books. This work chronicles the events before, during, and after the invasion of Sicily, the first Allied push into Europe. Though the title, D Day, may be confusing to modern readers, the first day of any secret operation was once known as "D Day" before the term came to represent the invasion of France during World War II. By sheer chance, Gunther correctly selected the site of the invasion and, attached to Eisenhower and military as the primary journalist, offered a first-person account of events during one of the turning points of the war. With code "B-T" on copyright page. Book fine, dust jacket with faintest soiling and shallow chipping to extremities.