The Night of the New Moon First edition.

London: The Hogarth Press, 1970. First edition, 1970. Hardback. 157pp. 6 plates plus two illustrations not listed in the contents. Dust jacket. 'The Night of the New moon' is August 6th, 1945, the end of the day on which the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. At that time, Laurens van der Post was in a Japanese prison camp in Java. For him and the thousands of prisoners in the ands of the Japanese in South East Asia, Hiroshima was not something remote but something that would have a profound influence on their fate. In his account of their ordeal, the author tells a story that is a significant footnote to the history of the Second World War. It is an extraordinary story and at its heart lies the issue which has worried the conscience of mankind as no other and as a narrative it is at once chilling, uplifting and charged with almost unbearable suspense. It is hard to imagine that the life of prisoners of war, as seen by their jailers and themselves, could be portrayed more vividly or movingly. Book in very good condition. A little very light spotting to the text block edges. Internally very clean and bright. Dust jacket good and unclipped. Very light edge wear and some general discolouration. Small closed tear to top edge of front. The plastic coating of the paper is showing signs of delamination along the hinges - mainly the front.