Description
Original 1917 first edition of Military and Naval Recognition Book by Lieutenant Joel William Bunkley, U.S. Navy, published in New York by D. Van Nostrand Company during World War I. The first edition is bibliographically recorded as a 224-page work and was issued as an extensively illustrated guide to the organization, uniforms, insignia of rank, and customs of the world’s major armies and navies.
Especially appealing is the book’s extensive visual treatment of period military insignia. The title page advertises 51 full-page plates, 18 in color, with subjects including U.S. Army shoulder marks, enlisted collar devices, military and naval flags, rank insignia, uniforms, medals, ribbons, and identification material from the World War I era.
The book was conceived specifically for the wartime environment of 1917. In his December 1917 preface, Bunkley explains that it was intended both for members of the military and naval services and for civilians seeking to identify the uniforms and insignia that had become increasingly visible after America’s entry into the war. A contemporary U.S. Naval Institute review likewise described the book as useful to both civilians and service members.
A particularly significant association is the author himself. Joel W. Bunkley later became commanding officer of the battleship USS California (BB-44) and was its captain during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The Naval History and Heritage Command records Bunkley assuming command of California on December 31, 1940, and the ship’s Pearl Harbor action report bears his name as commanding officer.
Highlights include:
* Original D. Van Nostrand Company 1917 first edition
* Published during the United States’ participation in World War I
* Written by U.S. Navy officer Joel William Bunkley
* Bunkley later commanded USS California at Pearl Harbor
* Published with 51 full-page plates
* 18 color plates, an especially attractive feature of the original edition
* Detailed contemporary coverage of Army and Navy uniforms, rank insignia, collar devices, flags, medals, ribbons, customs, and organization
* Original olive/tan cloth hardcover with stamped front-cover title
* Strong surviving interior illustrations and attractive color
* Former-owner notations add to its period character
Condition is very presentable for a military reference book published more than a century ago. The original cloth binding shows age-appropriate edge, corner, and spine wear, with some fading and rubbing to the spine. The front-cover lettering remains strong. The interior shows normal age toning and occasional spotting/handling marks, along with former-owner pencil/ink notations on the endpapers. The illustrated pages shown retain excellent detail and attractive color.
An appealing original WWI reference for collectors of World War I militaria, U.S. Army and Navy insignia, military uniforms, naval history, Pearl Harbor material, and early 20th-century military books.
Please view all the photos carefully for condition, contents, and the many illustrated details.
