PEARL HARBOR, THE DAY OF INFAMY - AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY by Vat, Dan Van Der

New York, Basic Books, 2001. US first edition, hard bound in dust jacket, VG/VG condition, oblong 10 1/2 x 10, glossy page stock, massively illustrated in B&W and color, 178 pages, appendice lists all casualties for the attack. ------------------President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed it, "A date which will live in infamy." December 7, 1941 was a day that would change America and the world forever. As officers and men of the United States Pacific Fleet awoke that warm Sunday morning, they suddenly found themselves under surprise attack by hundreds of Japanese aircraft. Two brief hours later, 2,390 Americans were dead, nineteen warships were sunk or damaged, six airfields were bombed and the United States was at war.------------------------------------------------Now this definitive illustrated history re-creates for a new generation every key moment of those unforgettable hours at Pearl Harbor. Historian Dan van der Vat's compelling narrative is an authoritative minute-by-minute account based on the latest historical research. The text chronicles in careful detail the path that led to the raid, the destruction it wrought, and the world-changing events that followed in its wake. Highlighting the text are gripping oral histories, many previously untold, from American seamen and Japanese airmen, from Army and Navy survivors, and from Hawaiian civilians. Throughout the book, these eyewitness accounts are combined with rare personal photographs and memorabilia to re-create just what it was like to be at Pearl Harbor. The book is also illuminated by a wealth of archival images, frequently matched with outstanding modern color photographs by Peter Christopher that document the many remains of the day still in evidence at Pearl Harbor. Also showcased are specially commissioned paintings by artist Tom Freeman, who brings to life with remarkable accuracy the scenes that cameras could not capture.