The Rape of Nanking; The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II

Penguin Books, Ringwood, Victoria, 1998. Reprint. Softcover. Very Good Condition. Foreword by William C. Kirby, introduction by author, acknowledgements, notes and index. At the beginning of the text is a map showing the sites of the Nanking massacres. Between pages 130 and 131 there are 24 pages of black-and-white photographs or illustrations stop photographic paperback binding with white coloured titles to the front panel and black and white coloured titles to the back strip. "In December 1937, the Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking. Within weeks, more than 300,000 Chinese civilians were systematically raped, tortured, and murdered – a death toll exceeding that of the atomic blasts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined. Using extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents, Iris Chang has written what will surely be the definitive history of this horrifying episode. The Rape of Nanking tells the story from three perspectives: of the Japanese soldiers who performed it, of the Chinese civilians who endured it, and of a group of Europeans and Americans who refused to abandon the city and were able to create a safety zone that saved almost 300,000 Chinese. Among these was the Nazi John Rabe, an unlikely hero whom Chang calls the "Oskar Schindler of China" and who worked tirelessly to protect the innocent and publicize the horror. More than just narrating the details of an orgy of violence, The Rape of Nanking analyzes the militaristic culture that fostered in the Japanese soldiers a total disregard for human life. Finally, it tells the appalling story: about how the advent of the Cold War led to a concerted effort on the part of the West and even the Chinese to stifle open discussion of this atrocity."– rear panel blurb A little creasing of the book corners with rubbing of the book edges and panels. Tanning of the text block edges and pages; with, foxing of the text block edges and the first few and last few pages of the book. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. 290 pages. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 500 grams. Category: History; Asia; Japan; Military & Warfare. ISBN: 0140277447. ISBN/EAN: 9780140277449. Inventory No: 0286036. . 9780140277449