OVER TO YOU

New York: Reynal & Hitchcock, 1946. First printing. Near fine in very good plus jacket.. First edition of Dahl's collected World War II-era stories about flying, drawn from his own experiences as a wing commander in Royal Air Force. Though a British citizen and member of the Royal Air Force, Dahl first found success as a writer in the United States, where he was sent for office duty after being injured in a flight over the Sahara. In the States he became friends with C.S. Forester, who encouraged him to "write a story based upon his experiences" (rear flap). This led to the publication in the SATURDAY EVENING POST of "A Piece of Cake" (1942), which appears here for the first time in book form, along with nine other semi-autobiographical wartime stories. Dahl's reputation as a children's book writer would only come after "A Piece of Cake" with the publication of GREMLINS (1943), about fairy creatures who playfully wreak havoc with plane mechanics. This American edition precedes the UK edition. 7.5'' x 5''. Original full tan cloth, lettering in red on front board and red and blue on spine. In original unclipped ($2.50) blue dust jacket with red lettering. Fore-edge machine deckle. [10], 182 pages. Owner seal stamped in red to front endpaper. Jacket with light soil, a bit of rubbing to joints and edges, one tape repair to verso. Book a touch dusty.