Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers, 1st Ed, Signed

Description

The 1992 publication of Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose preceded an international phenomenon. Ambrose chose to interview a representative company of 101st Airborne paratroopers and the book he wrote placed those veterans at the center of the creation of the national World War II Museum in New Orleans. It inspired an HBO miniseries produced in 2001 by Tom Hanks and Stephen Speilberg. That miniseries is still viewed millions of times over on streaming services. Names like Major Dick Winters and Sergeant “Wild Bill” Guarnere are commonly known as exemplars of a heroic generation that is quickly passing into history.

The book itself is a prime example of what historians can accomplish by gathering the stories of those who do not consider their personal experience important, but whose testimony is invaluable to the preservation of the past.

Band of Brothers is, of course, quite scarce in the first printing of the first edition. The publisher had no reason to believe in 1992 that millions of people would still be reading the book in 2025. As such, it can be compared to books like Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels, a book that commands thousands of dollars for a 1st edition copy on the rare book market.

Thousands of American companies fought with General Eisenhower’s forces from D-Day to VE Day, but because of Ambrose and this book countless people make pilgrimages to battlefields like Brecourt Manor (pictured on the click thru), Carentan, and Bois Jacques every year.

Original owner’s inscription on flyleaf; lightly crunched dust jacket; minimal sunning of spine and usual toning of text; else very good condition with very good dust jacket. Bookplate signed with initials pasted in.

Ambrose, Stephen E. Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne From Normandy to Hitler’s Eagles Nest. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992. 1st edition, 335p., illustrations, maps, dust jacket.