EVANS, Franklin BBiblio.com
600 DAYS IN KUNMING CHINA 1944-45. First & Only Limited Edition Of 168 Copies
28039103Bloomington 2005 AuthorHouse. Stiff pictorial wrs. 196p. 15 x 23 cm. 181p. many b. w. photos a NEW UNREAD example. FIRST & ONLY SMALL PRIVATE LIMITED EDITION 168 COPIES ! RARE AUTHOR'S PEN SIGNED COPY . . FIRST & ONLY LIMITED EDITION OF 168 COPIES . . A different and personal view of the Army. How a recent University of Chicago graduate became a soldier took a three months trip to get to China and then supervised a supply situation that had never existed before. . This is an autobiography of a U.S. soldier who was in service in the C.B.I. CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATRE from 1942-Dec. 1945. It covers his journey from Karachi Agra Calcutta Jorhat Dinjan Chabua Sadiya by rail then by air over the "Hump" to Kunming. There he was stationed in Kunming for three years in all. Kunming is a high-altitude city 1900 meters above sea level. It was important during World War II as a Chinese military center American air base and transport terminus for the Burma Road. . SUBJECT OF THIS BOOK: This excellent and obscure work covers a part of the Americans role and duties in Kunming China during the early years of World War II. This is the one and only primary resource on the subject of logistic and supplies for U.S. armed forces and about how the tons of material was handled at the end of the Hump flights over the Himalayas by the U.S. Army Air Force based in Kunming via air route from India. This is the first primary record of war that a whole country had been supplied by air from a very long and treacherous flight over the highest mountains in the world. . The author was in charge of receiving all of the material sent from India to Kunming the headquarters of the A.V.G. AMERICAN VOLUNTEER GROUP also known as the "FLYING TIGERS." Later they became know as the "14th AIR Force." This is a memoir of his unusual and personal life while in charge of American materials that arrived daily to Kunming. With many very nice b.w. photos by the author. . THE AUTHOR: Franklin Bachelder Evans age 84 Died Aug 6 2005. He was formerly of Chicago. Dr Evans was an educator at the University of Chicago University of Hawaii and Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University. The author held four degrees from the University of Chicago taught there for 9 years also at the University of Hawaii for some 5 years and at Northwestern for some 15 years. He was the author of many articles in academic journals and consulted with major automobile insurance and brewing companies. He has been listed in WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA & WHO'S WO IN THE WORLD for several years. . PRIVATELY PRINTED IN A LIMITED EDITION OF 168 COPIES ONLY FOR THE AUTHOR: . This book was published for the author. At sometime in late 2008 the author retracted the book and cancelled the contract with the publisher. We have an email letter from the publisher who states that "since 2008 168 copies were printed and shipped out of our publishing company." The exact total of copies are not known today since the publisher changed computer systems and lost the records of the number of copies first printed. We did have a conversation with a person in charge of retail sales and she said off the record" that she had little recollection of sales because the book had not sold well upon being published. AuthorHouse is known as a "vanity press" essentially meaning that for a price they will publish a small run of any book you want. This was the case for this title. It is their policy to print about 250 copies of any title they contract for. In this case the book was not reprinted therefore it is credible that only 250 copies were printed. The balance of unsold copies went back to the author for distribution to his friends and & family as gifts. . THE AUTHOR'S RED CINNABAR SEAL CHOP IN CHINESE & ENGLISH: The author was given a seal to use when he signed the incoming airway bill for materials that arrived from of the "Hump" from India. The seal or "chop" was actual proof and verification of his signature. Some signed copies of his book bear this seal which is exceptionally R A R E ! . RARITY: There have been very few known copies to have appeared on the open market for sale. . Color photos are posted to our website. . REFERENCES: . See wikipedia about Kunming & the author "A.V.G. AMERICAN VOLUNTEER GROUP or "FLYING TIGERS" & the FOURTEENTH AIR FORCE: see national museum fact sheet "A.V.G. AMERICAN VOLUNTEER GROUP or "FLYING TIGERS" & the FOURTEENTH AIR FORCE: see vandenberg air force military library fact sheet. . . unknown
