Inside Asia (1942)
War Edition of Gunther's Inside Asia,
in the Rare Original Dust Jacket
Gunther, John. Inside Asia. 1942 War Edition Completely Revised. New York and London: Harper & Brothers, 1942.
Thick octavo. Hardcover. War Edition.
War edition of this summary of governments and issues in Asia during World War II by a distinguished journalist, in rare original dust jacket. Perhaps best known for his 1949 memoir about the death of his son from a brain tumor, Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther's early years were spent on journalistic endeavors at the Chicago Daily News. When the Daily News refused to make him their Europe correspondent, Gunther moved to London and quickly secured a job with the London bureau, achieving his original aim. After the publication of Inside Europe in 1936, everything changed for Gunther. He came to be regarded as one of the leading authorities on the sociopolitical situation in Europe, the Middle East, and, as here, Asia. Gunther quit the newspaper business and devoted himself to books, including numerous editions of Inside... books, such as this heavily revised War Edition of Inside Asia, which attempts to dig into the political and even psychological motivations of the Asian players in World War II. Gunther's survey includes China (including the rise of Communism), Japan (including its totalitarian rulers), the Philippines, India (with substantial discussion of Gandhi), Iran, the Middle Eastern monarchies, and, in particular, Israel/Palestine. Book about-fine with small marginal chip to page 487. Rare dust jacket with light rubbing and faintest foxing to spine. A near-fine copy.