Robb White

[PRB]

As a wee lad I read lots of books. Still do, for that matter. My favorite author, without a doubt, was Robb White (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robb_White). He wrote “nautical adventure novels for young people set in the Pacific War”. That's the best short description I can come up with. My two favorites were “Up Periscope” and “Flight Deck”. I still have the very paperbacks I read and re-read countless times (see scanned pic). They are so worn and fragile now I dare not even open them. I've been buying up hard back versions of his books from Amazon, “Torpedo Run”, “The Survivor”, “Silent Ship, Silent Sea”, and “Surrender”. They are all available for cheap prices. Used, worn, but serviceable. But... My two favorites? They are available, but at HUGE prices. How interesting. “Up Periscope” was made into a movie, which I saw once years ago. It was nothing like reading the book at 15 years old. Robb White died in 1990, at 81 years. He was born in the Philippines in 1909, and served as an ensign in the US Navy in WW-II. All his stories centered around young men in the navy faced with situations far from home requiring physical and moral courage. All were related to naval aviation in some way. I'm going to find my two favorites, hopefully at less than the asking price out there on the Interwebs.

[ColoKent]

You and I are the same age (I'm a tad older at 53), and I LOVED Robb White books (though I went in the AF for 29 years vs. the Navy). Especially liked Flight Deck and Silent Ship, Silent Sea. Wonderful books that could be had from the Scholastic Book Club when I was in elementary school. Somehow, I suspect these types of books are not being offered to today's generation of young 'uns-- Americans were portrayed in those books as the "good guys", and unfortunately, that concept appears politically incorrect these days...again-- GREAT books and a GREAT author!

Kent

[Wayland]

I bet you got your originals through the Scholastic Book Club, just like I did. ( I recognize the cover art,circa 1965). Mine finally fell apart after 50 years of reading and re-reading. Good Luck on the replacement search.

Steve

[ViperPilot2]

The annual Book Fair was a rite of Spring at the school I went to. The Scholastic Book Club provided many titles to browse through; at the beginning I was stuck on SciFi books, mainly novelizations of the Star Trek episodes. However, one Spring I came across a book by Martin Caidin, one that I bet many flight simmers have read or perused through at one point in their lives... Samurai: the story of IJNAF ace Saburo Sakai, one of the "Cleanup Trio" from the Tainan Kokutai.

That paperback, now dog eared and threadbare from years of re-reading, has a secure spot in my bookcase, just as Robb White graces the shelves of Paul's library.

:wavey:

[ColoKent]

One of the books I remember buying in 4th Grade from SCB was "I Flew For The Fuhrer" by Heinz Knoke. great book.

Kent

[Wayland]

There were a ton of great YA authors back then, Gordon Shirreffs, Howard Pease and Stephen Meader are just three that spring to the top of my mind. Oh, mustn't forget the Mad Scientists Club either. All before 6th grade.

[PRB]

Love Martin Caidin! Ever read this one? It's a novel, loosely based on the exploits of the 3rd Attack Group in the Pacific War. If Vertigo Studios ever releases their B-25C, I'm going to make a paint of "Whip" Russell's black B-25 with the "Death's Head" on the nose.

[Wayland]

He did another that is of particular interest to early Pacific War buffs, called "The Ragged, Rugged Warriors". Great read!

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Great thread!!

I too bought into the Scholastic Book Club (SBC).

My all-time favorite SCB war book was this... see next post...

Featuring the battle I replay more than any other on my computer - I love it.

That said two other authors sold on SCB are my all time favorites.

http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1233372845l/6172953.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iTeQBcPBOqw/UQ7_sFotPYI/AAAAAAAADbk/NqpqaqoOrSA/s1600/Kjelgaard-Big+Red+Cover.jpg

I loved Jim Kjelgaard so sad that he committed suicide at age 48.

The other I loved (and I am not ashamed to say loved as those books were special) was...

https://img0.etsystatic.com/038/1/9519285/il_570xN.632306626_19za.jpg https://img0.etsystatic.com/042/1/9519285/il_570xN.631981714_nfdy.jpg

Mongomery Atwater who set the standard for avalanche control even at olympics and wrote a wonderful set of YA books.

Great thread!

-Ed-

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

As I said my favorite combat books was...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xRp87B-S5kQ/TD-YGCgjTQI/AAAAAAAACQs/4RJTINEd_9s/s1600/Combat+General+PB.jpg

Was limited by number of images...

-Ed-

[trucker17]

For me it was Simpson and Burger.....
<a href="http://s1054.photobucket.com/user/trucker1762/media/2e756966a831551c6a15def956435411_zpsa9ca4eb8.jpg.h tml" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s495/trucker1762/2e756966a831551c6a15def956435411_zpsa9ca4eb8.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 2e756966a831551c6a15def956435411_zpsa9ca4eb8.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1054.photobucket.com/user/trucker1762/media/478b4ee17bb2048c34f3eefdc6f1a8ca_zpsf762eb24.jpg.h tml" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s495/trucker1762/478b4ee17bb2048c34f3eefdc6f1a8ca_zpsf762eb24.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 478b4ee17bb2048c34f3eefdc6f1a8ca_zpsf762eb24.jpg"/></a>
<a href="http://s1054.photobucket.com/user/trucker1762/media/1303191_zpseee49e55.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s495/trucker1762/1303191_zpseee49e55.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 1303191_zpseee49e55.jpg"/></a>

[FireStorm II]

PRB, thx for posting that! What a surprise seeing the cover of "Up Periscope". That took me
back to a long time ago in elementary school. I also remember getting a Dauntless model as
a Xmas exchange gift that year. Yup, Scholastic Book Club, had forgotten that, too. :)

[PRB]

In seeing all the books we all read when we were younger, it occurs to me that most of the fiction I read back then was science fiction. Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert, and others. My WW-II reading was non-fiction, except for Robb White and Martin Caidin. Good stuff!

[trucker17]

They were all good books....