The Longest Day: June 6, 1944.

RYAN, Cornelius.

Item Number: 129106

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1959.

Early printing of Ryan’s gripping account of D-Day, the basis for the 1962 Academy Award-winning epic war film starring John Wayne, Sean Connery, and Henry Fonda. Octavo, original half cloth, cartographic endpapers, illustrated. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “For the Egans with respect and admiration. Cornelius Ryan.” With a French first day of issue cover commemorating D-Day signed by General Maxwell Taylor tipped in. Additionally with a John Wayne first day of issue cover commemorating the release of “The Longest Day” and a Bill Mauldin stamp to the front free endpaper. Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Jacket design by Thomas Ruzicka. Author photograph by Bill Ray. Uncommon signed.

Ryan's The Longest Day tells the story of D-Day, specifically detailing the coup de main operation by gliderborne troops, which captured the Caen canal and Orne river bridges before the main assault on the Normandy beaches. Based on interviews with a cross-section of participants, including U.S., Canadian, British, French and German officers and civilians, the book sold tens of millions of copies and was translated into 17 different languages. In 1962, it was adapted into the epic American war film of the same name featuring an ensemble cast including John Wayne, Kenneth More, Richard Todd, Robert Mitchum, Richard Burton, Steve Forrest, Sean Connery, Henry Fonda, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Eddie Albert, Jeffrey Hunter, Stuart Whitman, Tom Tryon, Rod Steiger, Leo Genn, Gert Fröbe, Irina Demick, Bourvil, Curd Jürgens, George Segal, Robert Wagner, Paul Anka, and Arletty. The film won two Academy Awards and was nominated for three others