Hardcover, black cloth cover, the text on the spine in a gold-coloured ink, with dust jacket, entitled "Gallantry Medals & Awards of the World", by John D. Clarke, copyrighted by the author in 1993, First Edition published by Patrick Stephens Limited of Sparkford, near Yeovil, Somerset, England in 1993, printed in Great Britain by Redwood Press of Melksham, Wiltshire, England, Library on Congress Catalog Card No. 92-75814, ISBN 1-85260-303-8. As stated on the dust jacket: "Military virtues and bravery, the highest attainment of the human spirit, have been rewarded in many ways over the centuries, and in different lands. In this remarkably comprehensive survey, more than 220 orders, decorations and medals of 37 nations are meticulously detailed, with copious illustrations, some in colour. The book covers the period from the Crimean War through to the Falklands and Gulf Wars. Included are not only such celebrated decorations as the Victoria Cross and Croix de Guerre, but also a number of lesser-known examples. In many cases the descriptions are enriched by moving examples of actual awards, true stories of heroism and extracts from official citations. But gallantry does not require a uniform. Many awards were introduced to mark exceptional human endeavour on the part of civilians risking their lives to save others. Among those featured are a BOAC air stewardess who received a posthumous George Cross having died while getting passengers out of a burning Boeing at Heathrow in 1968. The catalogue of medals and awards is supplemented by discussions of the occasional problems associated with bravery awards, lack of official recognition for some heroic deeds, subsequent treatment of gallantry award winners, overlapping awards and the need for possible reorganisation. Also covered is the fascinating pastime of collecting such decorations." It begins with a Table of Contents, followed by a Foreword by Sir Fitzroy Maclean, an Acknowledgements and an Introduction. The book describes and illustrates awards of gallantry issued by the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Republic of Ireland (Eire), Finland, France, Germany (Prussia), Germany (Third Reich Period), Germany (Federal Republic), Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Republic of Malta, Montenegro, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Rhodesia - UDI 1965-1979, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Republic of South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, United States of America, Yugoslavia. It finishes with a Conclusion, a Glossary of Terms used in the text, a Bibliography and a four page Index. The book contains 248 pages, the text and majority of the photographs printed in black ink, on a white paper stock, with eight pages of colour plates on pages 129-136, the first four pages with images of awards, the latter four pages with ribbon swatches, printed in four-colour inks, on a thin coated white paper stock, measuring 160 mm (w) x 225 mm (h) x 24 mm (d). Near extremely fine.
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