The Admiral’s Baby by Laurens van der Post. FIRST EDITION 1996 £6.50

Hardback.Condition: Near Fine. FIRST EDITION, first print. (1996) with dust jacket, not price clipped. D/J Near Fine (see images). 340 pages, including index. A nice tight clean copy. Clean brown hardback binding. John Murray.

An enthralling insight into the days after the Second World War ended. On the surrender of the Japanese, van der Post found himself overnight in the unusual position of having to keep the peace in Java through the Japanese who had held him in captivity for three and a half years. This was the first vivid account of this extraordinary episode in the history of the twentieth century.

Laurens van der Post was a spellbinding storyteller, selling millions of his books. Born in South Africa he served in Africa and Burma inthe Second World War. He was captured by the Japanese and was held for 3.5 years.His writings on his captivity were the basis for the David Bowie film Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence. After the war he became known as 'The Great White Bushman' for his association and writings about the bushmen of the Kalahari. He also became an adviser to Margaret Thatcher and Prince Charles – was godfather to Prince William – and a friend of Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology.  After his death in 1996 questions were raised about his life and experiences. However, he remains amaster storyteller.