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The Man Who Never Was by Ewen Montagu ➤ J.B. Lippincott 1954 Book of the Month Club Reprint
The Man Who Never Was by Ewen Montagu J.B. Lippincott 1954 Book of the Month Club Reprint
Title: The Man Who Never Was
Author: Ewen Montagu
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: J.B. Lippincott 1954
Edition: Book of the Month Club Reprint [HB 6 V]
LCCN: 54-5594
Size: 5.75 X 8.25 * 160 pages
Synopsis: From the jacket: Recipe for the most brilliant ruse of World War II: Take an anonymous corpse, give him an identity as a supposed Major of the Royal Marines bearing spurious top secret messages, cast him from a submarine into the sea where he will float to the Spanish shore. Then sit back and hope that not only will the body be discovered by the Spanish and the messages turned over to the Germans, but that the enemy right up to the High Command will be fooled into changing their Mediterranean defense plans so that the Allies can invade Sicily with less loss of life.
A fantastic long shot, one might think, good material for an Eric Ambler thriller, but not an idea to be seriously entertained. Yet the story of how this very plan was undertaken by the British, coupled with authentic proof of its spectacular success, makes one of the most startling and enthralling true tales to come out of World War II.
Ewen Montagu was the main instigator of "Operation Mincemeat," as the plan was officially named, and his description reveals all of the fascinating detail that went into preparation of the hoax. Sicily was the obvious point for the Allies in North Africa to attack, and to throw the Nazis off, required Montagu and his cohorts to act with the brilliance and imagination of chess masters-with the fate of hundreds of Allied lives as stakes for the game.
It was necessary to make the highly suspicious Germans believe that they had stumbled by accident on the greatest intelligence leak of the war, and to attempt it, the author and his associates had to project themselves into the very minds of the Germans. Their scheme in all its many aspects had to be flawless, from documents convincing enough to shake the whole German strategy to an eerily wonderful complex of "personal" details to give credence to the existence of a man who never was. When, in the closing chapters of The Man Who Never Was, the reader is presented with documentary and photographic evidence of the German reaction to "Operation Mincemeat," he is given a new respect for the limits of human ingenuity.
Overall Condition: Very good: The book does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. There is no obvious damage to the cover the dust jacket (with minor wear and tear) is included. There are no missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. It may have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover as well as very minimal wear and tear. See images.
Secure shipping bubble-wrapped in a new box.
2026--U.S. shipping for this (Two Pounds Media Mail) is $5.22 with tracking.
Multiple items will be combined for the lowest shipping price.
International Shipping cost is based on the destination so inquire before buying. Mobile users must scroll to the bottom and click on 'use desktop site' to bring up the Ask a Question link which sends me an email.
(PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S.)
==========================================================================================================================
Just about all the books are USED books. Some have been used more gently than others. Some have been in libraries and have typical library extras. Some are so old and/or interesting that they are being offered for the sake of preservation regardless of the condition they are in. If the condition of the book is very important to you, please feel free to click the 'Ask seller a question' link and I will tell you more.
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Title: The Man Who Never Was
Author: Ewen Montagu
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: J.B. Lippincott 1954
Edition: Book of the Month Club Reprint [HB 6 V]
LCCN: 54-5594
Size: 5.75 X 8.25 * 160 pages
Synopsis: From the jacket: Recipe for the most brilliant ruse of World War II: Take an anonymous corpse, give him an identity as a supposed Major of the Royal Marines bearing spurious top secret messages, cast him from a submarine into the sea where he will float to the Spanish shore. Then sit back and hope that not only will the body be discovered by the Spanish and the messages turned over to the Germans, but that the enemy right up to the High Command will be fooled into changing their Mediterranean defense plans so that the Allies can invade Sicily with less loss of life.
A fantastic long shot, one might think, good material for an Eric Ambler thriller, but not an idea to be seriously entertained. Yet the story of how this very plan was undertaken by the British, coupled with authentic proof of its spectacular success, makes one of the most startling and enthralling true tales to come out of World War II.
Ewen Montagu was the main instigator of "Operation Mincemeat," as the plan was officially named, and his description reveals all of the fascinating detail that went into preparation of the hoax. Sicily was the obvious point for the Allies in North Africa to attack, and to throw the Nazis off, required Montagu and his cohorts to act with the brilliance and imagination of chess masters-with the fate of hundreds of Allied lives as stakes for the game.
It was necessary to make the highly suspicious Germans believe that they had stumbled by accident on the greatest intelligence leak of the war, and to attempt it, the author and his associates had to project themselves into the very minds of the Germans. Their scheme in all its many aspects had to be flawless, from documents convincing enough to shake the whole German strategy to an eerily wonderful complex of "personal" details to give credence to the existence of a man who never was. When, in the closing chapters of The Man Who Never Was, the reader is presented with documentary and photographic evidence of the German reaction to "Operation Mincemeat," he is given a new respect for the limits of human ingenuity.
Overall Condition: Very good: The book does not look new and has been read but is in excellent condition. There is no obvious damage to the cover the dust jacket (with minor wear and tear) is included. There are no missing or damaged pages, no creases or tears, and no underlining/highlighting of text or writing in the margins. It may have very minimal identifying marks on the inside cover as well as very minimal wear and tear. See images.
Secure shipping bubble-wrapped in a new box.
2026--U.S. shipping for this (Two Pounds Media Mail) is $5.22 with tracking.
Multiple items will be combined for the lowest shipping price.
International Shipping cost is based on the destination so inquire before buying. Mobile users must scroll to the bottom and click on 'use desktop site' to bring up the Ask a Question link which sends me an email.
(PLEASE CONTACT ME BEFORE MAKING ANY PAYMENT FROM OUTSIDE THE U.S.)
==========================================================================================================================
Just about all the books are USED books. Some have been used more gently than others. Some have been in libraries and have typical library extras. Some are so old and/or interesting that they are being offered for the sake of preservation regardless of the condition they are in. If the condition of the book is very important to you, please feel free to click the 'Ask seller a question' link and I will tell you more.
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