2012 ALA Midwinter Meeting

This past weekend, two of Casemate’s employees traveled to Dallas, TX for the 2012 American Library Association Midwinter Meeting.

Curtis Key (Director of Digital Publishing) and Sean Johnston (Sales Rep) represented Casemate at this year’s conference, while Jim Drenning (Operations Director) represented The David Brown Book Company. This meeting was especially exciting because it was the first time since the merger that our two companies have been represented side-by-side as one entity. There was a great response from the attendees and other exhibitors when they witnessed first-hand how many more great titles we have brought on with the addition of The David Brown Book Company.

The main topic of discussion at the meeting this year was eBooks. Aside from being highlighted by the exhibitor’s, eBooks were a primary focus in the events and seminars held by the ALA.

We want to thank everyone who came to talk with us and look over our assortment of books. We look forward to seeing everyone again at the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Anaheim, CA.

Our Combined Booth at the ALA Midwinter Conference

Suggested Read: War Horse

Steven Spielberg’s most recent film, War Horse, hit theaters on December 25th in the US and January 13th in the UK.  In the short amount of time since its release, The Telegraph reports that War Horse has taken in $67,338,000 in North America and £ 3,940,000 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The success of the film can be attributed to its adaptation from the novel, War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. Published in 1982, The New York Times described the book as,

“a slim, powerful children’s book about a young man and his beloved horse on the front lines of World War I.”

While it is a story intended for children, War Horse explores the life of horses and cavalries in World War I.  In an interview with the London Evening Standard, Morpurgo said,

“I came across a picture by one FW Reed, painted in 1917, of British cavalry horses in the First World War charging up a hill towards the German positions, towards the wire. Some were already entangled in it…I telephoned the Imperial War Museum and asked if they knew how many horses had been killed in the First World War. A million or more, they told me, and that was just in the British army; probably eight million horses died on all sides…The more deeply I researched, the more I read of the plight of these creatures who were after all only doing our bidding, the more determined I became to write the story of one of them. But in the writing of it I knew I had to tell the story of the soldiers of both sides at the front, and of the families, and people in France and Belgium, whose villages and farms were turned into battlefields.”

If you have already read War Horse or have seen the film, we would love to hear your thoughts on both.

For more information on cavalries during World War I, we suggest the following titles:

The Affair at Néry

Horsemen in No Man's Land

Fifteen Rounds A Minute

Wednesday with Author John Gebhart

For this weeks Wednesday with the Author, we got in contact with John Gebhart, author of LBJ’s Hired Gun: A Marine Corps Helicopter Gunner and the War in Vietnam.

 

When did you first realize that you wanted to become a writer?

In fifth grade I wrote an English composition entitled “Fishing is Fun When You Catch a Big One.” The Catholic School Nuns thought it was so good that I was forced to read it to other classes. I became famous and was soon reading other well written compositions on a regularly scheduled basis.

 

What is it about writing that appeals to you?

Stories, stories, stories, all we hear all day, but only a few, very special precious few are graced by the Gods to become the keeper of these tales. We, the story tellers, from the dawn of time, have weaved the words that create the very fabric of life and love, and finally – death, into twisted, tangled, comedies and mangled tragedies that enrich and sadden at the same time. I love to weave words into sentences.

Do you have any advice for budding military history authors wanting to get published?

Tenacity – don’t give up! One hundred and eight seven publishing companies told me to go pound the sand and die. Ten publishing companies told me my book was a great read. I kept trying and finally two wanted it. Remember “there are no great people only great challenges that ordinary people are forced by circumstances to overcome.” Each day, before I start writing, I look at a quote I wrote on my wall “A man may write at any time if he will set himself dutifully to it!” by James Boswell, “Life of Johnson”.

What fascinates you about revisiting the past and bringing it to life in a book?

Most teenagers today couldn’t find Vietnam on a world atlas or even tell you more than a sentence or two about the war. I wrote “LBJ’s Hired Gun” to show the world what a Huey door gunner had to contend with on a daily basis. You had angry green tracers trying to kill you, 51 caliber anti-aircraft guns trying to make a Swiss cheese sandwich out of your gun-bird, friends getting killed or wounded, not to mention the heat, mud, endless monsoon rains, bread infested with bugs, drunkenness, lost loves, black killer ants, endless sandbag detail and finally boring night guard duty where the enemy seldom attacked.

Have you always been interested in history?

My father read a history book about every week. Whenever we went hunting or even walking my dog he would give me a synopsis of his current book. I learned about wars I never heard of and I think I know about every major civil war battle that happened. We even drove to a lot of Civil War battle sites. I must have been to Gettysburg, PA twenty times. I received a 97 in history when I was a senior in high school. It was the highest grade they ever gave out at Monsignor Bonner High School.

A Year-End Note from Casemate’s Editorial Director

As we celebrate Christmas and New Year’s, and enjoy the general Holiday respite before embarking upon 2012’s endeavors, I’ve thought it a good time to reflect back on the past year, from Casemate’s editorial point of view.

In short, nothing could be more pleasing, also frequently exciting, than the progress the company has made over the past year. Once again, and in fact more than ever, we’ve been able to feature an excellent array of original works that contribute much to the public’s understanding of the sacrifice of others in defense of their ideals or country. Military history provides a vast pool of insights beyond which the normal citizen can experience, and our dedication has been to illuminate it whenever possible.

Even as Casemate has expanded considerably in recent months, through new distribution opportunities, technologies, and proud acquisitions of fellow firms, our own publishing program remains the fulcrum, and at this point I believe has become the leader in its field.

At our delightful company Christmas celebration in Philadelphia last week (the luncheon followed by a little bit of pub-crawl, which provided even more interest), the publisher, David Farnsworth, generously reaffirmed our mission statement: Publish the most useful and instructive works of history we can lay eyes on, thence support them with professional expertise and our very best promotional efforts in order to enhance the knowledge of both the public and scholars alike.

A problem remains that publishing is largely an “advance” industry, so that our upcoming 2012 list is due to gain more supportive energy than the works just recently released. Here I’d like to acknowledge all the authors who helped to make our year just past so successful.

Big News at Casemate Publishers

We are excited to announce that Casemate Publishers has acquired Oxbow Books/ David Brown Book Company.

Papers were signed yesterday in Newbury and Oxford UK completing the transaction in which Casemate Publishers obtained the shares of Oxbow Books Ltd.

This acquisition brings an immense number of opportunities and benefits to both of the companies.  Each part of the newly enlarged group will retain its distinctive brand and position in the market.  However, there will now be greater resources for book production, sales, and marketing. These factors will greatly enhance the company’s ability to continue to provide an excellent and efficient service to our distribution clients and to our customers.

Oxbow Books/David Brown Book Company will also have access to Casemate Publisher’s successful and growing eBook program.  This will lead to an increase in sales for Oxbow/David Brown Book Company books as well as those of their distribution clients in this continually expanding market.

We are thrilled about the future with this new endeavor and are much looking forward with our new colleagues at Oxbow/ DBBC.

To learn more about Oxbow Books/ David Brown Book Company continue below.

About Oxbow Books, Ltd. – Founded in 1983 in Oxford – the UK’s leading independent publisher in the fields of academic archaeology and ancient medieval history, as well as the leading distributor and bookseller in the fields. Visit their website here.

About David Brown Book Company – Founded in 1990 in Indiana and since 1993 based in Oakville, CT, the David Brown Book Company in the US arm of Oxbow Books. It is the leading importer and reseller of books in the academic disciplines of archaeology, ancient history, philosophy, theology and many other related and complimentary fields. Visit their website here.

Wednesday with Author John Tring

For this weeks Wednesday with the Author, we got in contact with John Tring, author of The Pacific War Uncensored: A War Correspondent’s Unvarnished Account of the Fight Against Japan. Here’s what he had to say about his book, his grandfather, and his life.

When did you first realize that you wanted to become a writer?

It had always been a life-long ambition of mine to write the book about my grandfather’s experiences in the Pacific War. As a child I spent many holidays with my grandparents, and during these my grandfather would recount the many amazing stories he had to me. As a youngster the significance of these was not apparent, but as I got older I began to develop an interest in modern history and I began to realize the importance of his tales. During these holidays in my childhood, he would often show me the contents of a black metal trunk that he had which contained his telegrams, newspaper cuttings and photos. He used to indicate to me that I could find out more information if I wanted amongst these, and I believe that he was laying the foundations for me to write the book that he was unable to complete due to failing eyesight in his old age.

What is it about writing that appealed to you?

This project has been very satisfying for me, as it has been a life-long ambition to complete the writing the story of my grandfather’s experiences in the Pacific War. I have always been of the opinion that it is important that such tales are published, otherwise we only have the history books to rely on as a reference to the past. This is particularly true of my grandfather’s story, as he was able to present an alternative view on the defensive strategy used by the British government in the protection of Singapore.

How much research did you do for the book?  Can you give us some tips on this?

Most of the book’s contents were already in place within my grandfather’s legacy of audio tapes, telegrams and photos; they just needed formulating within a cohesive whole. I did need to cross-reference the names of places, people and things on many occasions, and for this I found the internet to be a valuable tool and starting point for investigation, as further detail can be clarified from here.

How long did it take you to write it?

I had to work on the book in my spare time, as I am in full time employment as a teacher. I began the work in September 2002, after my grandfather’s audiotapes and papers came into my possession. I had originally thought of using speech recognition software to get the bulk of the book recorded onto paper, as there were in total 28 cassettes (each one an hour in length).  After further consideration, though, I thought that the quality of the recordings might not necessarily be good enough to record the information accurately, and that the spoken word would, in the end, require a lot of editing.

So, I basically took dictation from the tapes, stopping and starting each of the tapes, as my keyboard skills are good but not quite up to secretarial standard. This process obviously took a long time, but it was fascinating to hear my grandfather’s story again and to listen to his voice. His delivery is entertaining, and there were some aspects to his tales that I had forgotten.

The next task was to sort through my grandfather’s telegrams and try and attribute them to the various parts of his tale. This was not exactly straightforward as many of the cables had no date on them, and they were all written in cabelese (a short hand version of English). I sorted through and categorized the telegrams on more than one occasion, and then transcribed their contents after which I cut and pasted them into the relevant parts of my grandfather’s story.

This process involving the tapes and telegrams was more than just a ‘copy-and-paste’ type of operation. The spoken word does not always present well in a written format, and so a great deal of editing was required. Making a smooth transition in parts of the book between my grandfather’s recollections and telegrams also required care, and sometimes I needed to write a short passage myself in order to make these sections meaningful. The whole operation was like working on a very large historical jigsaw puzzle, and needed a lot of cross-referencing with books and websites to check the names of people, places and objects. This is why my name appears on the dust cover as being the editor of the book, and my grandfather is the author. It is a partnership that I am entirely comfortable with, and I know that if he were aware that his story was going to be published at last he would be very pleased.

I was lucky to have the help of a friend of my mother, called Barbara Anslow, who lives near to my mother and who had lived in Hong Kong during the 1930s before being captured and imprisoned by the Japanese. She read through one of my drafts and made some detailed notes for me, which was something she is very adept at, having published her mother’s story about her experiences of being imprisoned by the Japanese.

I completed about ten drafts in total, before finally ‘whittling’ the content down to its final version. I would estimate that this took about eight years, although as I mentioned before it was on a part-time basis.  It was a very interesting and satisfying project though, and I discovered a lot of tales involving my grandfather that he had not told me. Reading through his telegrams in which he reports on the low level bombing operations that he got involved in was a very exhilarating and ‘jaw-dropping’ experience and I hope that this the same experience for the reader.

What do you like most about your book? Why should we read it?

I think the book is packed with a lot of interest, and has a good pace to it. It is essentially a military memoir, but I believe that there is also interest for a wider audience, with details regarding what life was like in Singapore and Hong Kong during the 1930s. It also contains details of what had to be done in order to set up a news agency during that period, as well giving as an insight into the terrific efforts by the U.S air force in establishing airbases in the undeveloped northern territories of Australia.

How do you relax? Do you have any hobbies or interests?

I like gardening, cooking, watching sport and spending time with my family. Most of my spare time though in the past 10 years has been spent researching and producing the book.

 

Michael Silverman Op-ed

Lt. Col. Michael Silverman, author of Awakening Victory: How Iraqi Tribes and American Troops Reclaimed Al Anbar and Defeated Al Qaeda in Iraq, wrote an op-ed piece that was chosen to appear in The Christian Science Monitor.

To read his piece entitled, Syria isn’t Libya: Obama must consider bolder intervention, go here.

 

Fogg in the Cockpit

We are excited to announce that Flying Models Magazine is featuring Fogg in the Cockpit: Howard Fogg—Master Railroad Artist, World War II Fighter Pilot in their January 2012 issue.

A couple of months ago, we talked with Richard and Janet Fogg about their new book in one of our blog posts.  We’re thrilled that it’s receiving the attention it deserves.

To read the feature from Flying Models Magazine, click on the cover page below.

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that Nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American Island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island. And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our Nation.

As Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole Nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.

No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory. I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory, and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces- with the unbounding determination of our people- we will gain the inevitable triumph- so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.”

Press Release: Attack on Pearl Harbor

A New Perspective on Pearl Harbor Revealed . . .

With the 70^th anniversary of the seminal battle at Pearl Harbor upon us, we at Casemate are proud to mention that this year we published an entirely new look at the battle, which has filled in many of the mysteries, dispelled many of the myths, and has doubtless given us a greater understanding of the surprise attack that suddenly drew America into World War II.

For this we are grateful to Alan D. Zimm (author of the blog post below), a former US Navy commander and current military operations analyst based at Johns Hopkins University for his book: ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR:  Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions.

The first full-fledged work by a modern US Navy analyst examining the battle from the Japanese point of view, this book is full of expert insights, down to the flights of individual torpedo planes as they soared in against Battleship Row.

Though the attack proved tactically successful in the end, Dr. Zimm establishes how the supposed excellence of Japanese planning in fact resulted in a free-for-all above our Pacific Fleet at harbor, and that the Japanese were fortunate to escape from their own confusion.

Once smoke billows were in the air, the second wave of Japanese dive-bombers had no idea what they were aiming at, even as they crossed paths with their own fighter formations or torpedo bombers, the latter whom were sent in too late, thus made easy prey for alerted US gunners. The renowned Japanese Zero fighters simply roamed above the fray, looking for targets of opportunity like Sioux Indians wanting to count coup. Meantime the bomber formations wasted much of their ordnance on a supply ship they thought was a carrier.

If not for a few lucky hits—specially the one on Arizona—the attack could have completely misfired. And it certainly would have had America’s main naval base in the Pacific not utterly failed to provide at least 10-minutes’ warning of an attack that incrementally approached from 2,000 miles away.

It has become customary to describe the US victory at Midway as “lucky”—but in this book Alan Zimm confirms once and for all that Pearl Harbor the Japanese were even more so.

A selection of the Military Book Club, and a great success with readers, we’re happy to recommend our recent release, ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, as perhaps the best new book on the subject this year. Gratefully, professional reviewers have agreed:

 “An engrossing study, particularly for those considering themselves well-read on the topic…. it is even more interesting for those with ample knowledge of events in World War II’s Pacific Theater of Operations leading up to, on, and following December 7, 1941. For a variety of reasons, including the provocative nature of many of Zimm’s fact-built arguments, this reviewer does not hesitate to recommend.”

—GLOBE AT WAR

 “It is not often that one can say that an outstanding book transforms our knowledge of a well-known event but this can be said of Alan Zimm’s Attack on Pearl Harbor…. sets straight the record of a key historical event…essential reading.”

—NAVY NEWS (UK)

 “…examines every aspect of the attack and uses operations research techniques to critique the planning and performance of the Japanese forces and compare the results with expectations.”

—SEA POWER

 “Zimm’s conclusions will remain definitive for the foreseeable future.… So, by all means, reread Gordon Prange’s At Dawn We Slept, but definitely read Alan Zimm’s Attack on Pearl Harbor for a fuller and more up-to-date understanding of an event that changed history and continues to fascinate.”

—MICHIGAN WAR STUDIES REVIEW

 “…uses modern methods of operational analysis to determine exactly how the Japanese planned and executed the great raid…a worthy, useful analysis…”

—NAVAL HISTORY

 “An interesting analysis of the strategy and tactics involved. Instead of ‘the most daring and brilliant naval operations of all time,’ Zimm demonstrates that the Japanese carrier strike force did not plan the attack very well, nor did they train effectively for it… an interesting new look at this opening gambit in the Pacific Theater of World War II.”

—THE PAST IN REVIEW

 “For seven decades, conventional wisdom has extolled the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor as brilliant in its planning and execution. Alan D. Zimm’s masterful analysis topples that pillar of Pacific War history.”

—WORLD WAR II magazine

While remembering the sacrifice and gallantry of our service members during the Pearl Harbor attack, Casemate is proud to continue to explore the exact details of the battle, not leaving them shrouded in myth, but with ever-new and expert analyses of what our brave sailors and soldiers endured.

Our appreciation is also extended to author Alan Zimm, whose painstaking research has made an entirely new—and perhaps most accurate of all—perspective on this seminal battle possible.