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McKEE**, ALEXANDER: : AGAINST THE ODDS: Battles at Sea,1591-1949

LONDON.SOUVENIR PRESS LTD.,1991.

ISBN 0285629948.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE/FINE.No owner inscrptn,and no price-clip to dw/dj. Bright,crisp,clean,glossy laminated,colour pictorial wrap-around artwork by Paul Wright illustrated dw/dj; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present - both head+foot of spine/backstrip minisculely bumped with reciprocal creasing.Top edge lightly aged and minimally marked,fore- edge lightly aged with light,sporadic spotting/foxing; contents bright,tight and near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any page's corners - an unread copy? Unblemished,publisher's original,plain black cloth boards with bright,crisp, stamped silver gilt letters to spine/ backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,viii- xiipp+2-272pp [paginated] includes contents list/table,author preface,26 chapters/sections,16pp contemporary b/w illus/photographs interspersed throughout the book,4pp select bibliography; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages, acknowledgements,illus list/table and 4pp blanks to rear. In 1591 Sir Richard Grenville,caught in the Azores by a superior Spanish fleet, chose to sail straight through the enemy ships rather than turn and flee before them.Dwarfed by the mighty galleons of Spain,without wind to carry him through,he fought throughout the night until he was carried,dying,from his broken ship,the 'Revenge'.History has labelled him rash and imprudent,but poetry and folksong have given him immortality.This enthralling collection of gripping sea battles, selected and retold by a leading naval historian,celebrates the men of many countries,throughout history,who risked all to defy the might of opposing forces or to attempt the impossible,contending not only with ships and gunfire but with the uncertain and ruthless elements of the sea,wind and tide. In 1776 a man nearly died in a failed attempt by the rebellious American colonies to sink the British flagship,HMS Eagle,with an early type of submarine: the same ploy was carried out successfully by Italian submarines against the British in Alexandrai harbour in 1941.Lord Cochcrane defied his superior and sacrificed his career in attacking the French fleet trapped in the Charente in 1809,and 140 years later the captain of HMS Amethyst broke through the blockade in the Yangste river to escape to freedom under cover of darkness. From the South Atlantic to the Indian Ocean,from the Pacific to the Mediterranean,come tales of courage,self- sacrifice and the daring to fight to the death that have distinguished the history of naval warfare. David has not always defeated Goliath - indeed sometimes both have fallen in the fray - but the drama lies in the stories themselves,not in their outcome. Illustrated with dramatic photographs and engravings. 'Against the Odds' offers a treasure trove of reading for all who are drawn by stories of courage at sea. Since April 2013,and again in this year too,the UK Post Office has altered it's Pricing in Proportion template,altering its prices,weight allowances,dimensions and lowered its qualifying compensation rates too! So,please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item,for correct shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page!

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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