Cameos of Commandos. Memories of Eight Australian Commando Squadrons in New Guinea and Queensland

Adelaide, [The Author], 1971. Octavo, [xxiv], 309 pages with 13 maps plus 30 pages of plates. Black-decorated green cloth lightly bumped at the head of the spine; a near-fine copy with the two-colour pictorial dustwrapper lightly bumped and very lightly sunned on the spine. The author was chaplain to a succession of eight commando squadrons during the Second World War. There is a lengthy gift inscription on the front free endpaper from 'Des C. Smith, Chaplain, 43 Batt. RSAR, 1967 - ?, 10/9/72'. Text on both flaps of the dustwrapper includes the following: 'Funds accrued from the sales of this book will be donated to Legacy. Here, again, we gratefully acknowledge the splendid contribution that has been made by Mr Bert Bache (2/2nd) in designing and giving this impressive Dust Jacket'. The text on the rear flap ends with an errata [sic]: 'Refer page 211, para 2: "Loves" should read "Lives'''). Loosely inserted is an order form and a contemporary photocopy of the amended original prospectus: 'Only 10 copies left of first edition. For the further financial sake of Legacy 100+ new orders required for a reprint of the book. Be both a buyer and a salesman'. The original prospectus notes that the book is 'a hard cover with an Arresting Dust Jacket'. We have not identified a reprint, but we have handled identical copies of the book with a variant dustwrapper: it is printed in green on white paper, unillustrated, with minimal lettering on the spine and front panel. Perhaps this decidedly unarresting version, without the printed erratum, might in fact be the first-issue dustwrapper.…