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FETHNEY, MICHAEL: : THE ABSURD AND THE BRAVE: CORB - The true account of the British Government's World War II evacuation of children overseas. [Author SIGNED copy.]

UK.LEWES,SUSSEX.The Book Guild Ltd.,1990.

ISBN 0863324479.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn.VG+/FINE.No owner inscrptn but author's neat,blue ink handwritten dedication and signature: 'To Jeremy and Mandy - Very best wishes - Mike Fethney' to front free endpaper and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,glossy laminated,b/wr photographic illustrated dw/dj panels b/w lettering; with negligible shelf-wear or creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present - head of spine with minimal creasing.Top+fore-edges slightly grubbed and possibly dust-soiled with some minimal flecking and foxing/spotting; contents otherwise,bright,tight,clean,solid and sound - near pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,appears unread - apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean, sharp-cornered, publisher's original plain dark blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white endpapers - author inscrptn excepted.UK, 8vo HB+dw/dj,SIGNED,1st edn,7-333pp [paginated] includes illustrations list/table,a foreword by Lord Asa Briggs,acknowledgements,author's introduction,21 chapters,contemporary b/w biographical photographs,b/w maps/diagrams etc., documents b/w facsimile reproductions interspersed throughout the text and the book, notes (chapter by chapter),a bibliography, Documentary and other sources,appendices (I-XIV) includes Escort and Evacuee lists; plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,contents list/table,and 2pp blanks at the rear. In June 1940,the CORB scheme (Children's Overseas Reception Board) opened its doors for the evacuation of Britain's children abroad. Within three weeks the scheme was closed,flooded with applications from parents desperate to send their children to 'safety'.In this atmosphere of panic began one of the most extraordinay chapters of our wartime history. This is the whole story: the careful planning and amazing recklessness that placed children on poorly defended ships to run the gauntlet of the German navy, twice with disastrous results.When they eventually arrived t their destination, fortunes were equally mixed,some experiencing love and generosity from their host families while others found neglect and cruelty.When the war ended,the children returned to families that were strangers to pick up the threads of family life. For some children,CORB was the adventure of a lifetime,for others a psychological nightmare: Michael Fethney sums this up when he calls this 'a story of sorrow,human error,and absurdity - though also of inspiration,dedication,and human bravery'. Please contact seller,because of the weight/value of this item for correct, insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/Canada customers please be aware: Standard AIRMAIL postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. anything from a 1/3rd to 1/2 of the standard AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving sooner than the 42 days - but not always.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj, SIGNED,1st edn.
To Jeremy and Mandy - Very best wishes - Mike Fethney

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