We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
The Music for Victory at Sea Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 January 2024
From the earliest stages of its “Navy Project” NBC planned to market both a Rodgers-Bennett soundtrack recording and an illustrated book. The record's amazing sales prompted production of follow-up sequels, but the book wouldn't appear until 1959, much changed from its original vision.
NBC's search for a publisher began in 1951 and its first overtures were to a Boston firm with ties to Forester, Morison, and Salomon. Little, Brown, and Company had published Forester's popular Horatio Hornblower novels since the 1930s, and Morison's History of United States Naval Operations in World War Two was a Little, Brown imprint as well, seven of its fifteen volumes having appeared by 1951.
On 1 November 1951 Salomon met with the press's representative and then recapped details for David Sarnoff:
Yesterday afternoon I had a meeting with one Ned Bradford, Editor-in- Chief… . he professed a great interest in publishing a pictorial book, using film clips from the series together with the scripts. So great was this interest, I can practically guarantee that by next week Little, Brown will make a formal pitch to NBC for a contract… . Meanwhile … I think the book should include. 1) Twenty-six chapters corresponding to the twenty-six programs. 2) Every other page text and every other page pictures. This is the only practical format if we are to publish the book in the fall of 1952, in time for Christmas sales of that year. 3) I should like to make a publishing innovation by printing the principal musical themes along with the title page for each chapter. 4) I believe I could get Winston Churchill to write a foreword or introduction. I believe we should have both, with General Sarnoff writing one or the other … 5) The book would be written by Forester and Rodgers, edited by me and copyrighted by NBC. 6) The book will be about 8 by 11 with the front endpapers consisting of a chart of the Atlantic, and the rear ones a chart of the Pacific. 7) The book should sell for not more than five dollars ($5.00), and, following an early idea of yours, perhaps could be tied into the Rodgers record sales by arranging a deal with RCA Victor. A simple postage-free card could be inserted with each copy entitling the buyer to a discount on the record.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.