Description
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Captain Ted W. Lawson, signed by Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and Capt. Edward “Ski” York.
Octavo, [4], 186pp. Beige cloth, title stamped on the spine. Stated “Landmark Books” on the title page, following the first edition from Random House, published in 1943. Light wear to tips of spine, offsetting to title page from laid-in newspaper clipping. In the publisher’s dust jacket, “150/150” on the front flap, chipping along edges, closed tears, tissue repair to closed tear along spine.
This copy is signed opposite the title page: “With every good wish, J.H. Doolittle.”
Additional signature below Doolittle by Capt. York: “With all the best wishes to the mother of Harley Grimm. Ski York.”
Captain Edward J. “Ski” York (1912-1984) was a member of the Doolittle Raiders, the only West Point graduate to participate in the raid. He was the pilot of Crew No. 8, which, after completing its bombing mission over Nagoya, was unable to reach the planned recovery airfields in China due to fuel shortages. York diverted his B-25 Mitchell to Vladivostok, in the Soviet Union, where he and his crew were interned by Soviet authorities until 1943.
Gen. James H. Doolittle (1896-1993) was the recipient of the Medal of Honor for his raid on mainland Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Known as the Doolittle Raid, the long-range bombing raid utilized 16 B-25B Mitchell medium bombers, with the plan to land in unoccupied China. The bombing raid was successful and a major morale booster for the United States four months after the surprise attack on Hawaii.
