Stacey Books

alvin5182 · #1 10-03-03, 02:11

Gentlemen:

A local store has some of C.P. Stacey's WW11 histories. They are asking $100.00 per volume. Is this a reasonable price or does anyone know where one could find a value range for these books?

the books are in good shape with all the maps intact and the exterior being slightly worn.

Thanks in advance.

Michael Dorosh · #2 10-03-03, 05:10

100 dollars is the going price. Bear in mind most public libraries would likely have copies of them, if all you are interested in is reading them, or could get them via interlibrary loan. If you want to own them, prepare to fork over.

Bill Alexander · #3 11-03-03, 16:27

Hi Al, Stacey's books are one of the best official histories. Well written and authoritative. An excellent resource to have if you are interested in Canadian military history of WWII.
Check abebooks. Found over 480 hits, (mostly a lot of other Stacey works). However this may be of interest, from abebooks search Mar 11. 2003.
STACEY, (Col. C.P. and Lt.- Col.G.W.L. Nicholson).
OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE CANADIAN ARMY IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR. Volume I. Six Years of War. The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific. Volume II. The Canadians in Italy 1943-1945. Volume III. The Victory Campaign.
Ottawa: Ministry of National Defence / Queen's Printer, 1955, 1956, 1960. Three volumes, hardcover, tall octavo, red cloth. All three are first printings. Numerous colour folding maps. The books themselves have slight yellowing to the page edges of volumes I and II, else fine, no previous owner marks. Dust jackets: volume I has a large chip to head of spine, smaller chips to foot of spine, edge tears to panels. volume II has small chips to spine tips, small edge tears to panels; volume III like volume II, but some sunning to the red portions. Bookseller Inventory #17764
Price: US$ 125.00 (Convert Currency)
Bookseller: Steven Temple Books (ABAC/ILAB), Toronto, ON, Canada (Search this Seller's Books)(Ask Bookseller a Question)

alvin5182 · #4 12-03-03, 03:10

Gents:
I went and did some heavy schmoozing with the female clerk and got them for $150.00 for the three. Worth every penny.

I also got a copy of "Eighty Five Days" by R.W. Thompson in great shape with original dust jacket for $15.00.

Now to sneak all these items into the house.

Bill Alexander · #5 13-03-03, 01:10

How near North Bay? Like Trout Lake? Or Powassan? Or Corbeil?
Bill

alvin5182 · #6 13-03-03, 02:58

Bill:
I would be in downtown Corbeil. Well actually the suburbs, MacPherson Dr. area. You have some experience here I'm guessing.

Bill Alexander · #7 13-03-03, 12:56

Hi Al, I live up the lake from you. Birchaven. Maybe we should talk? Bill

alvin5182 · #8 14-03-03, 02:23

Bill:

don't tell me you own some really neat vehicle of some type. I'll be insanely jealous. What do ya do down at the far end of the lake? I work in ..............how would you say.......................law enforcement. And you? Or maybe we should take this off board.

Crewman · #9 19-04-05, 12:50

Hi,

I would like to ask you if Col. Charles P. Stacey is controversial historian in Canada? Look please at this link.

Would not you like to comment this situation?

Best regards

C.

Michael Dorosh · #10 19-04-05, 15:07

Quote:

Originally posted by Crewman
Hi,

I would like to ask you if Col. Charles P. Stacey is controversial historian in Canada? Look please at this link:
http://www.valourandhorror.com/P_Reply/Brif_vets.htm

Would not you like to comment this situation?

Best regards

C.

No, he is not controversial. He has a good autobiography called A DATE WITH HISTORY.

The Valour and the Horror was a controversial program put together by two "journalists" - not historians.

From the document you linked to:

"As modern journalists experienced in covering war and revolution, we applied our experience and training to a Canadian war five decades old."

They make it sound like that was a good thing.

The episode in the document you mention, with Stacey holding back a copy of the SPRING report, is discussed in the excellent book THE VALOUR AND THE HORROR REVISITED, Wise (one of the historians mentioned in the document you link to) edited that compilation, and has both Galafilm (the McKenna's) and other historians discussing these "controversies."

Crewman · #11 19-04-05, 17:10

Michael,

Thank you very much for the reply. I know who Col. Charles P. Stacey is but I had to ask about his possible controversity in Canada because, if I am not mistaken, at least twice I saw in the Internet the exceptions to him of his servilism towards top commanders of the Canadian 1st Army. I am unable to observe all aspects of Canadian public life as well as all historic books and articles that is why I asked for this answer.

On the other hand however I have to tell unfortunately that I am able to understand the conflict between the journalists and military historians who wrote so-called official history of the Falaise Gap operations. I am also working with Falaise Gap veterans from various countries, also with civilian historians not related to military structures of ex-Allied HQs and I have to tell that there are two histories of the Falaise Gap. One of them is too beautiful, full of half-truths, written sometimes by Hemingway's language; the other one lives in veterans' homes, but also in civil historians' homes, and this is totally different history of the Falaise Gap. "Official history" of the Falaise Gap is as politically correct, attractive and pathetic as in Eddy Florentin's book "The Battle of The Falaise Gap" for instance. Try to find in this version of history anything on the subject of inter-Allied tensions, problems and defeats as well as Allied war crimes. I am afraid that too many times "official histories" written by military historians use the same language as Florentin's book. By the way the language that generated various rubbish and myths.

This is simple problem of the military historians credibility. If Living History Associations that almost live together with WWII veterans have many times totally different knowledge about one and the same historic fact well-known from the books then we do have a problem. Who survived from the Falaise Gap is not talking the language of the books. Or sometimes he doesn’t tell anything because it would be unacceptable to publish it. I know too many embargoed memoirs from the Falaise Gap to believe all "official histories" of this WWII episode written by the State officials.

Thanks Michael for your reply

Best regards

C.