Vietnam/The Sixties 2, Vietnam Literature 3

509. FALL, Bernard. The Viet-Minh Regime. Government and Administration in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Ithaca: Cornell University, 1954. The first book by the French-born historian, whose chronicles and analyses of the French and American wars in Southeast Asia were the most well-informed of any Western analyst. Fall had been in the French underground in World War Two, where he learned first-hand about the conduct of guerrilla warfare and in 1953, while working on his dissertation, he went to Indochina to do research on the guerrilla war in Vietnam. While there, he participated in combat operations with the French troops, including deep behind the Communist lines north of Dien Bien Phu. When he returned, he compiled this report as a Research Assistant in the Cornell Southeast Asia Studies Program. A month after this report was published, Dien Bien Phu fell to the Viet Minh, ending French colonial domination of Indochina and precipitating the series of events that led to the American involvement in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Later the same year, Fall got his Ph.D. From Syracuse University and he then returned to Vietnam after the Geneva Accords were signed and became the first Westerner to interview Ho Chi Minh after the partition of Vietnam. Tapebound 8 1/2" x 11" mimeographed sheets, the tape severely brittle and cracked. Front cover corner chipped, back cover rubbed. Very good. An extremely scarce first book; we have never seen another copy offered for sale. A revised and expanded volume of Fall's writing on the Viet Minh was later published in France, but never issued in this country.

"...the wrong war at the wrong place..."

510. FALL, Bernard. Street Without Joy. Harrisburg: Stackpole (1961). Fall's classic study of French policy and tactics in Southeast Asia and the American penchant for following the footsteps of the French, duplicating their erroneous assumptions and mistakes. Perhaps the single most insightful volume on the Indochina war(s). This is the very scarce first edition, published by a press more noted for its sporting handbooks than for its general trade books and which often issued titles with first printings as small as 1000 copies. The first edition of this title is exceedingly scarce, although it was reprinted a number of times in the early and mid-Sixties as the American involvement in Vietnam grew. To read this book is to be struck by a slowly-building horror--to realize that much of his description of the failure of various tactics and policies was written before the United States employed them, and could have been avoided. Inscribed by the author in the month of publication: "To Dean Snowden this book/ on a ‘wrong war at the wrong place' with the sincerest regards of/ Bernard B. Fall/ April '61." Dean Snowden was Frank Snowden, a historian and Dean of Howard University Department of Arts and Sciences where Fall was teaching when the book was published. Inscriptions by Fall, who was killed while on patrol with U.S. Marines in Vietnam in February, 1967, are very scarce and we have never seen another inscribed copy of this, his most important book, let alone one with a contemporary inscription. This is a fine copy in a very good, edgeworn dust jacket.

511. -. Another copy. Front joint starting; very good in a very good dust jacket, with "Contemporary Affairs Society" sticker on the front panel.

512. -. Another copy. Ownership stamps of Edwin D. Sorensen. Very good in a very good dust jacket with a split threatening at the front flap fold.

513. -. Another copy. Very good in a very good, foxed and edgeworn dust jacket with a few small chips.

514. -. Another copy. Near fine, lacking the dust jacket.

515. -. Same title, the third, revised edition (January, 1963). Near fine in a very good, creased and edge-foxed dust jacket, which differs in color and text from the original.

516. -. Same title, fourth printing of the fourth edition (May, 1967), which was rewritten to include the Americans in Vietnam--and constitutes a very early commentary thus. Near fine in a very good, spine-faded dust jacket.

517. -. Same title, first U.K. edition (London: Pall Mall, 1965), from sheets of the fourth edition. This copy is rebound in quarter leather and inscribed by the author in 1966. Some spotting to lower page edges and modest wear overall. A very good copy.

518. FALL, Bernard. Hell in a Very Small Place. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1967. Fall's account of the siege of Dien Bien Phu, written a dozen years after the fact, is the definitive account of the battle, and benefits from the hindsight afforded by time so that his perspective also sheds light on the later American strategy and tactics in Vietnam. A combination of compelling individuals' accounts and superb military history and analysis. One of the classics of the war, published in January, a month before Fall's death. Foxing to top stain; gutter hole to rear free endpaper and rear hinge started; thus very good in a near fine, mildly foxed jacket.

519. (FALL, Bernard and RASKIN, Marcus G.). The Viet-nam Reader. NY: Random House (1965). First printing of this important anthology of "Articles and Documents on American Foreign Policy and the Viet-Nam Crisis," edited by Raskin and Fall. This copy is inscribed by Bernard Fall in the month of publication to a former diplomat and later university professor: "To Professor and Mrs. ___/ this distressing tale of how not to/ make foreign policy./ With affectionate regards/ Bernard Fall." Fall was the first, most important, and most informed Western reporter on Vietnam, particularly with regard to understanding the Vietnamese people and the motivations of the Vietnamese communist and religious leaders. He was also an historian, and had studied both the strategies and the tactics of the French and Vietnamese in the French Indochina war. He was killed in action in Vietnam in 1967, and books inscribed by him are scarce. Near fine in a very near fine dust jacket.

520. -. Another copy, also inscribed by Fall in the month of publication: "To ____ ____ with warmest/ regards -- and may some of these/ small seeds fall on fertile ground.../ Bernard Fall/ D.C. Nov. 21, 1965." Also laid in is Fall's business card with an autograph note: "Mr. ____:/ Please have a look/ at pages 367 and/ beyond./ Regards,/ Bernard." Page 367 begins the Editors' Proposals for a "Diplomatic Alternative to U.S. Policy." Paper clip indentation where the card was clipped to the front flyleaf; otherwise fine in a very near fine dust jacket.

521. FALLACI, Oriana. Nothing, and So Be It. A Personal Search for Meaning in War. Garden City: Doubleday, 1972. Account of time the author spent in Vietnam trying to "understand" the war, a process that included her taking part in a bombing run--a remarkable exercise in intellectual and journalistic honesty for a reporter who made no secret of her antiwar, and anti-American, sentiments. Remainder spray bottom edge of pages, otherwise fine in a dusty and edgeworn, near fine dust jacket.

522. FARISH, Terry. If the Tiger. South Royalton: Steerforth (1995). A novel about Cambodian refugees in the U.S. in the aftermath of the Vietnam war and the Cambodian "killing fields." Near fine in a fine dust jacket.

523. FAVREAU, Dan. Thumbs Up. (Minneapolis): (Montage) (1981). Paperback original, ostensibly a true account of the author's experiences in Vietnam, and the members of his squad. Light rubbing at the folds; else fine. An uncommon account by a small press, one of the many such accounts that straddle the line between memoir and autobiographical fiction, with re-created dialogue and characters whose names have been changed.

524. FERRANDINO, Joseph. Firefight. (NY): Soho (1985). A well-received first novel about the war. This an advance review copy. Small label removal shadow front pastedown; else fine in a fine dust jacket.

525. -. Another copy. Small label removal shadow front pastedown and light corner bumps; near fine in a fine dust jacket.

526. FIELDS, Rick. Taking Refuge in L.A. Life in a Vietnamese Buddhist Temple. NY: Aperture (1987). Text by Fields; photographs by Don Farber; introduction by Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, an early vocal opponent of the war in Vietnam. A sensitive and revealing look at the wholesale transplantation of a culture, in the wake of the war in Southeast Asia. Oblong quarto; wrappers rubbed; else fine.

527. (Film). SMITH, Julian. Looking Away. Hollywood and Vietnam. NY: Scribner (1975). An early treatment of the subject, done at a time when the only Vietnam combat film produced by a major Hollywood studio was The Green Berets. Fine in a fine dust jacket with trace wear at the spine extremities.

528. (Film). The Boys in Company C. (n.p.): Good Time Films, 1977. Continuity script, produced after the film was finished, giving the dialogue along with a scene-by-scene description of the camera action. Claspbound at the top; long sheets printed on one side only. Near fine in green printed wrappers.

529. (Film). Friendly Fire. (n.p.): (Marble Arch) (1979). Dialogue continuity script for the television screenplay based on C.D.B. Bryan's nonfiction account of a middle class family that is radicalized and turned toward the antiwar movement after government obfuscation and obstruction in their efforts to find out the true circumstances of their son's death in Vietnam at the hands of "friendly fire." Writer's credits given to Fay Kanin. Claspbound photocopied sheets; first page creased, otherwise near fine. An important book, and a landmark film, for its depiction of the tide that turned mainstream political opinion in the U.S. against the war effort.

530. (Film). Press Pamphlet for Apocalypse Now. (n.p.) (United) (1979). Brief history of the film; numerous still photos; complete credits; brief biographical pieces on the major individuals responsible for the film - cast and crew. Near fine.

Marlon Brando as "Captain Kurtz"

531. (Film). Prop from Apocalypse Now. "Time Magazine" cover, reproducing July 19, 1968, and showing Colonel Kurtz (i.e. Marlon Brando) as a young Green Beret in Vietnam. A fragile, noteworthy ephemeral item from the most ambitious Vietnam film, which used Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness as a metaphorical framework for the story of the American role in Vietnam. A fine copy of a rare, possibly unique, item.

532. (Film). Motion Picture Soundtrack from Apocalypse Now. (NY): (Warner) (1979). Stamped "For Promotion Only." Soundtrack for the award-winning film, including percussion score by the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, and performances by other members of the Grateful Dead as part of The Rhythm Devils. Fine in a rubbed, very good sleeve. Uncommon in an advance promotional issue.

533. (Film). ROBINSON, Bruce. The Killing Fields. (n.p.): Enigma Films, 1982. Photocopy screenplay for the film based on New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg's The Death and Life of Dith Pran, about Cambodia in the aftermath of the American pullout from Vietnam, and the eventual triumph of the Khmer Rouge--one of the most horrific tales to come out of a war that had no shortage of them. Near fine in claspbound cardstock.

534. (Film). Press Kit for Some Kind of Hero. (NY): (Paramount) (1982). Publicity brochure for this film starring Richard Pryor, and based on the James Kirkwood novel. Includes a booklet of production information and a packet of movie stills, laid into a glossy portfolio. Contents fine; folder near fine.

535. (Film). MARKOWITZ, Mitch. Good Morning, Vietnam. Los Angeles: Paramount, 1986. Screenplay for this well-received black comedy starring Robin Williams in one of his most expansive roles. This is a photocopied version. Claspbound in near fine plain tan wrappers. Fine.

536. (Film). HASFORD, Gustav, HERR, Michael, and KUBRICK, Stanley. Full Metal Jacket. NY: Knopf, 1987. The published screenplay of Kubrick's film based on Hasford's The Short-Timers. Introduction by Michael Herr. Kubrick, Herr and Hasford were given joint credit for the screenplay. Hasford's novel was called one of the grimmest to come out of the war, and the film was correspondingly negative in its portrayal both of the brutality of boot camp and the brutality of the war. Fine in wrappers. Together with the publicity brochure for the film. Near fine. For the two:

537. -. Same title, the first British edition (London: Secker & Warburg, 1987). Fine in wrappers.

538. (Film). Press Kit for Gardens of Stone. Los Angeles: Tri-Star, 1987. Promotional folder with a magazine-size volume on the production, cast and crew of this film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Also includes 13 still photos from the film. Based on the novel by Nicholas Profitt. Contents fine, in a very good folder, rubbed on the outside and with an internal (coffee?) stain.

539. (Film). Press Kit for Casualties of War. Los Angeles: Columbia Pictures, 1989. Publicity packet for this highly praised Brian de Palma film, based on Daniel Lang's book recounting a true incident from the war. Containing production information, credits, biographies of the major members of cast and crew, and still photos for publicity. Near fine.

540. (Film). Lobby Cards for Casualties of War. (n.p.): Columbia, 1989. Seven lobby cards for the movie, with color stills of stars Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. 14" x 11". Fine.

541. (Film). MAYES, Wendell. Go Tell the Spartans. (n.p.): (n.p.) (n.d.). Screenplay for the film based on Daniel Ford's Incident at Muc Wa, one of the lesser known films of the war, but a powerful evocation of now-familiar themes: not knowing the enemy; the incompetence of the junior officer corps trained "by the book" and unable to deal with the ambiguous and ever-changing realities of war; individual heroism; and finally the breakdown of the war effort under the burden of an unworkable alliance riddled with corruption and lacking popular support. The movie starred Burt Lancaster, in an unsung but powerful role. Photocopied sheets in blue cardstock covers, detaching at clasps. Very good.

542. FORD, Daniel. Incident at Muc Wa. Garden City: Doubleday, 1967. An early, important novel of the war, later filmed as Go Tell the Spartans. Written by a journeyman reporter in Southeast Asia and presaging many later novels in dealing with many of the ambiguities of the Vietnam war. This is a review copy (stamped with the compliments of the publisher on the front pastedown); mottling to cloth; very good in an edge-rubbed dust jacket foxed on the verso.

543. -. Another copy. Fine in a near fine dust jacket.

544. -. Another copy. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.

545. (French Language Editions). Le Viêt-Nam. Une Cause de la Paix. Hanoi: Le Van Phue (1945). Early postwar analysis of the situation in Vietnam and elsewhere in liberated Asia. Inscribed either by or on behalf of the author. Near fine in wrappers.

546. (French Language Editions). L'Artisanat au Vietnam. Hanoi: Foreign Language Editions, 1958. Heavily illustrated survey of Vietnamese crafts. Stamped "Library of Congress Surplus/Duplicate" on the verso of the title page. Rebound, original wrappers bound in. Near fine.

547. (French Language Editions). Face aux Skyhawks. Hanoi: Foreign Language Editions, 1964. An early exposé by Hanoi of American "provocations" and "acts of war against the People's Democratic Republic of Vietnam" (i.e., North Vietnam), concentrating on events from July 30 to August 5, 1964. Heavily illustrated, with fold-out maps showing the paths of bombing missions and the Destroyer Maddox's movements during that time; also photographs of antiaircraft emplacements, aircraft debris, etc. While anti-American propaganda from North Vietnam is not uncommon, this is an unusually early example. Stamped "Library of Congress Surplus/Duplicate" on cover. Very good in wrappers.

548. (French Language Editions). Dans le Brasier. Hanoi: Foreign Language Editions, 1965. Propaganda: various short, first-person accounts. Stamped "Library of Congress Surplus/Duplicate" on the pastedown. Rebound, with original wrappers bound in. Fine.

549. (French Language Editions). Sur La Révolution Socialiste au Vietnam. Hanoi: Foreign Language Editions, 1965. First volume of a three-volume series on the Vietnamese revolution. Stamped "Library of Congress Surplus/Duplicate" on the original cover. Rebound, original wrappers bound in. Near fine.

550. FULLER, Jack. Fragments. NY: Morrow (1984). Well-received novel, recently reprinted, by a writer who was a combat correspondent for Stars and Stripes in Vietnam. Small abrasion to rear board and splaying to boards; about near fine in a fine dust jacket.

551. (GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, Gabriel). "The Vietnam Wars" in Rolling Stone, No. 318, May 29, 1980. An account of Vietnam as seen by Colombian Nobel Prize winner, García Márquez on a trip there, just about the time of the war with, and invasion of Vietnam by, China, and at the height of the exodus of "boat people." The report opens: "The most expensive medicine in Vietnam last August were pills for seasickness." Near fine.

552. - . Another copy, one (unrelated) page excised otherwise very good.

553. GARDNER, Richard. The Dragon Breath Papers. NY: Viking Press (1976). A novel of a Chinese soldier captured by Americans in Southeast Asia and brought to the U.S. for interrogation. Inscribed by the author with a drawing captioned "ancient chinese ideogram for a book freak." Fine in a fine dust jacket.

554. GARFIELD, Brian. The Last Bridge. NY: McKay (1966). An early novel about the war, by a journeyman writer who later became well-known for several bestselling thrillers, including The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and others. Offsetting to flyleaf and wear to spine base; otherwise near fine in a very good dust jacket with small chips at the base of the spine. One of the earliest novels about American troops in Vietnam: John Newman's bibliography (Vietnam War Literature, second edition, 1988) lists only five books prior to 1966: two paperbacks, two vanity press titles, and Robin Moore's The Green Berets. This title is listed as Newman 11.

555. GELLHORN, Martha. Vietnam -- A New Kind of War. (Manchester): Manchester Guardian (1966). A critique of the American efforts to "win the hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people--i.e., the propaganda war. Corner turned; near fine in stapled wrappers.

556. (G.I. Movement). The Grunt, Vol. 1, No. 7. (Edison): Central Jersey Veterans for Peace (n.d.) [c. 1969-70]. Eight-page mimeographed newsletter, with much news about Vietnam Veterans Against the War activities, including mention of John Kerry, VVAW activist, now Senator from Massachusetts; plus news and com-mentary pertaining to the My Lai hearings; more. Corner staple; near fine.

557. (G.I. Movement). Vietnam G.I., April, 1968. (Chicago): (n.p.) (1968). Eight-page tabloid format newspaper, given free to servicemen. Stridently antiwar tone. Includes a letter to the editor from a retired Brigadier General decrying American policy in Vietnam: "I am not opposed to our boys in Vietnam. I am opposed to their being in Vietnam..." Newsprint darkening; else near fine.

558. (G.I. Movement). Shakedown, Vol. 1, No. 4. Wrightstown: (Ft. Dix G.I.s), 1969. Eight-page tabloid format newspaper produced by GIs at Fort Dix, N.J., one of the key spots in the GI movement against the war. A cover article about Newark, N.J., puts support of the Army in the context of supporting the government in its oppression of poor blacks in the inner city. The race riots that had convulsed American cities after the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy had been just a year earlier. Darkened, edgeworn pages. Fragile, only good.

559. (G.I. Movement). Antiwar GIs Speak Out. NY: Merit, 1969. Pamphlet of interviews with outspoken GIs who organized an antiwar group at Fort Jackson, S.C., and were persecuted in the military. Compiled by Fred Halstead, and excerpted from a book to be published the following year, GIs Speak Out Against the War. Near fine in stapled wrappers.

560. (G.I. Movement). The Bond, Vol. 4, No. 6. (NY): (American Servicemen's Union) (1970). Radical newspaper published by a fledgling union for GIs. Newsprint darkening; near fine.

561. GIAP, Vo Nguyen. Dien Bien Phu. Hanoi: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1962. Second edition of this translation of a series of articles by the Vietnamese general who defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu and later became the overall commander of the North Vietnamese Army. Stamped "Library of Congress Surplus/Duplicate." Spine-creased; near fine in wrappers with color fold-out map of the Dien Bien Phu campaign.

562. GLASSER, Ronald J., M.D. 365 Days. NY: George Braziller (1971). The author's first book, a classic of the war, describing a year in the life of a doctor stationed in Japan who saw some of the most badly injured of the wounded victims of Vietnam who survived: most who made it to Japan had injuries too serious to be treated in-country in Vietnam. Glasser recounts his own experiences as well as his patients' and a number are absolutely heartrending: they remind the reader that the typical soldiers over there were teenagers, with no real idea of what they had gotten themselves into. In a controversial case in Maine, this book was banned by a school district, ostensibly for profanity but more likely for the grimly negative portrayal of the war it presents. Sunning to spine cloth, particularly at the crown; near fine in a dust jacket creased on the front flap.

563. -. Another copy. Top edge foxed; stain to front flyleaf; about near fine in a very good dust jacket.

564. -. Same title, second printing. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.

565. GLICK, Allen. Winter's Coming, Winters Gone. (Austin): (Eakin Press) (1984). Well-received first novel of the war by a former Marine who served 22 months in Vietnam as a radioman, infantryman and interpreter. First published by a small press in Texas, in this edition, which never received wide distribution. Inscribed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Uncommon.

566. -. Same title, a reissue (NY: Pinnacle, 1985). This was the first hardcover title issued by Pinnacle, which until then had been strictly a publisher of mass market paperbacks. Just before this book was published, Pinnacle declared bankruptcy, causing distribution of it to be haphazard: for a time, it was very scarce and then later, after the settlement of the bankruptcy issues, it was remaindered and became quite common. The book received good reviews and was later reprinted in paperback under a different title. This is an advance review copy--meaning this was one of the ones issued before the publisher went under--and is fine in a fine dust jacket.

567. -. Another copy, not a review copy. Fine in a fine dust jacket.

568. GLYN, Alan. Witness to Vietnam. The Containment of Communism in South East Asia. London: Johnson (1968). Uncommon report from Southeast Asia by a former British M.P. who visited the area as a war correspondent. Analysis combined with personal accounts. Near fine in a very good dust jacket.

569. GREENE, Graham. The Quiet American. London: Heinemann (1955). One of the first novels to explore the American involvement in Vietnam and the theme, so often repeated later, of good intentions gone awry. Based on actual characters and events--with an American protagonist modeled after Col. Edward Lansdale, the CIA operative who has been called "the attending physician at the birth of South Vietnam." Previous owner's name and date (December 19, 1955) on front free endpaper; small label removal front pastedown; cup ring to front cloth; still, overall, about very good in a very good, edge-sunned and price-clipped dust jacket. One of the key titles of the war.

570. -. Same title, the first U.S. edition (NY: Viking, 1956). Near fine in very good, price-clipped dust jacket, chipped at the spine extremities.

571. -. Another copy. Near fine in a dust jacket heavily chipped at the spine extremities, about very good.

572. -. Another copy. Owner name. Very good in a good, spine-faded dust jacket with internal tape repairs.

573. -. Same title, a reprint edition (London: Reprint Society, 1957). Fine in a near fine dust jacket with a few short edge tears.

574. (GREENE, Graham). That "Dirty" War and Other Stories. Mockba: 1964. Greene's story is the title story to this Russian collection of stories from various wars. Greene's takes place in Indochina in the years after World War II, and is excerpted from The Quiet American. Texts in English; notes in Russian. Stamped "Library of Congress Surplus/Duplicate." Near fine in wrappers. An uncommon edition.

575. GROOM, Winston. Better Times than These. NY: Summit (1978). The author's first book, one of the self-consciously "big" novels of the war--an ambitious book that explores the important issues of the time from various angles through different characters. Remainder stripe; else fine in a lightly rubbed, very good dust jacket worn at the spine extremities. Groom is probably most famous as the author of Forrest Gump, a well-received short novel that was made into a hugely successful movie.

576. -. Same title, the advance reading copy. Near fine in wrappers.

577. -. Another copy. Very good in wrappers.

578. GROOM, Winston and SPENCER, Duncan. Conversations with the Enemy. The Story of PFC Robert Garwood. NY: Putnam's (1983). The controversial story of a former POW brought to trial by the Marines for being a traitor. The highly charged Garwood case provided a lightning rod for feelings about the war, raising questions of loyalty, morality, conduct under duress, and the legitimacy of the American involvement in the first place. This is a review copy and is near fine in a very good dust jacket with some dampstaining to the verso.

579. GUILLAIN, Robert. Vietnam. The Dirty War. London: Housmans, 1967. Third printing. Translations from the French newspaper Le Monde: an interesting international perspective on the American presence in Vietnam at the height of the war. Fine in stapled wrappers.

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