Three-Way Doom [Japan] - Ensuring Japan's final destruction, in triplicate.

Robert M. Chapin, Jr.

Published by Publication Date: 1945

This dramatic poster map shows the noose tightening around the Japanese Empire in the Spring of 1945. Allied footholds across the Pacific, including Iwo Jima, the Kuril Islands, and the Philippines, provided airbases within bombing reach of the home islands. These different avenues of attack offer the 'Three-Way Doom' promised by the title, with the destruction already begun via several firebombing raids. The attack on Tokyo on the night of March 9 was the single most destructive aerial bombardment in human history. It destroyed approximately 16 square miles of the city and killed over 100,000 inhabitants. American naval superiority is also shown, with the successful attack of Task Force 58 in mid-March. Fighting at Okinawa and around Manila was ongoing, but ultimate victory appeared inevitable for Allied forces. The map was designed by Robert M. Chapin, Jr. and published as a supplement for the April 2, 1945 issue of TIME Magazine. Chapin was a professionally trained architect who found jobs to be in low demand during the Great Depression. He took a job in the photo department at Newsweek in 1933, where he apparently picked up a knack for cartographic design. By 1937, he was hired by Time (a rival of Newsweek) as the head of the cartography department, a position he would hold until his retirement in 1970. During his long tenure at Time, Chapin's prolific output helped establish a pattern for 20th-century newsroom cartography. The use of bold colors, uncluttered design, and legible typography was immensely popular, and the maps were reprinted for distribution in classrooms and public spaces throughout the country. Despite their widespread appeal, the maps are uncommon on the market and often overlooked in institutional collections. As of May 2024, this version is listed only twice in WorldCat, at Franklin & Marshall College and Yale University. OCLC# 320453277. Sheet Width (in) 33.5 Sheet Height (in) 45 Condition Description "4" of clean separation, repaired on the verso with archival tape, in the lower right corner. The sheet is somewhat brittle from age and shows some light wear along originally issued fold lines, including spots of separation at fold intersections. Good condition overall. Blank on verso.". Seller Inventory # W000889

Bibliographic Details

Title: Three-Way Doom [Japan] - Ensuring Japan's ...
Publication Date: 1945
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Very Good