A Girl in Every Port (China Station)

New York, NY: Berkley Books. Near Fine. 1956. First Edition Thus; First Printing. Mass Market Paperback. Near Fine in Wraps: shows only a hint of wear to extremities; the finest creases near three corners; a small REMAINDER mark at the bottom edge; the expected - but very light - tanning to the text pages due to aging; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. Free of creases to the backstrip. Free of creased or dog-eared pages in the text. Free of underlining, hi-lighting, notations, or marginalia. Free of any ownership names, dates, addresses, notations, inscriptions, stamps, plates, or labels. A handsome copy, structurally sound and tightly bound, quite fresh for its age, showing minor, unobtrusive imperfections. Bright and Clean. Corners sharp. Not absolutely perfect, but very close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 16mo. (6.35 x 4.25 x 0.50 inches) . Language: English. Weight: 3.8 ounces. All edges tinted yellow. First Edition Thus (1956) , First Printing assumed; no subsequent printings noted. First published in 1951. Berkley G-25. Complete and Unabridged. Mass Market Paperback. Donald R . Morris (1924 – 2002) was an American naval officer, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, novelist, military historian and foreign affairs writer. He joined the navy in 1942 and after the war studied electrical engineering at the United States Naval Academy. Morris served in the Korean War before joining the CIA in 1956, for whom he carried out anti-espionage duties in Berlin, Paris, Kinshasa and Vietnam. Morris had published this novel, 'China Station', in 1951 and in 1957 published another, 'Warm Bodies', based on his naval service; this was made into the film 'All Hands on Deck' in 1961. In 1965 he published 'The Washing of the Spears', a history of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War, a book he had worked on mainly during a five-year posting in Berlin. Morris retired from the CIA in 1972 and became a foreign affairs column writer for the Houston Post. He later published his own foreign affairs newsletter. As for this novel - ignore the title ('China Station' is apt, but not "A Girl in Every Port") ; the book centers on only one port - and only one girl. The central character is a sailor on a destroyer serving the American occupation of China immediately after WWII. The story gives an interesting peek at the historical context of the rising communist revolution in China. It also contains some well-narrated naval anecdotes. The Communist Revolution is central to the well-woven plot, as is the American presence in China. The main story concerns the impact of global political movements on individual lives, and those individuals' struggle to overcome the glacial inertia of larger events. I found the climax deeply moving. It's a quick read, and well worth the time - both for the story and for the insights into the historical situation. Don't expect a lot of girls or a lot of ports, though. That's not what it's about. ; 16mo 6" - 7" tall; 190 pages .