Description: HTML clipboard Red Cross and Iron Cross by Axel Munthe This is the August 1931 Ninth Impression Originally published anonymously in June 1916 by “A Doctor in France” Front cover and spine Further images of this book are shown below Publisher and place of publication Dimensions in inches (to the nearest quarter-inch) London: John Murray 5¼ inches wide x 7¾ inches tall Edition Length August 1931 Ninth Impression Originally published anonymously in 1916 by “A Doctor in France” 156 pages + Publisher’s advertisement Condition of covers Internal condition Original blue cloth, lined in gilt on the front cover and blocked in gilt on the spine. The covers are rubbed and scuffed with some variation in colour, and light surface scratching on the rear cover. The spine has darkened noticeably with age and the spine gutters are heavily rubbed. The spine ends and corners are bumped. The end-papers are very browned and discoloured and a previous owner has placed his name and address stamp (in black ink) on the front pastedown, front free end-paper and rear pastedown (please see the final two images below). The text is clean throughout on lightly tanned paper. The edge of the text block is not uniformly trimmed and is quite ragged, which can be seen in the images below. The edge of the text block is dust-stained and lightly foxed (particularly the top edge). Dust-jacket present? Other comments No Not uncommon but, apart from the browned end-papers and previous owner's name and address stamps, this is a nice example. Illustrations, maps, etc Contents NONE : No illustrations are called for There are eight untitled chapters. Post & shipping information Payment options The packed weight is approximately 400 grams. Full shipping/postage information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. Payment options : UK buyers: cheque (in GBP), debit card, credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal International buyers: credit card (Visa, MasterCard but not Amex), PayPal Full payment information is provided in a panel at the end of this listing. Biographical Information Axel Martin Fredrik Munthe (October 31, 1857, Oskarshamn, Sweden – February 11, 1949, Stockholm) was a Swedish psychiatrist, best known as the author of The Story of San Michele, an autobiographical account of his life and work. Axel Munthe had a multi-national character and spoke several languages (Swedish, English, French, Italian fluently, and German at least passably), growing up in Sweden, attending medical school and opening his first practice in France. Munthe studied medicine in Uppsala, Montpellier, and Paris. After graduation, Munthe opened a medical practice in Paris, largely catering to the members of the Scandinavian art colony there. In 1884 he travelled to Naples to help with the cholera epidemic. In 1887, he moved to Capri and managed to purchase the Villa San Michele and begin restoring the buildings there, doing much of the work himself, but also employing local residents, including three brothers and their father. In 1890, running low on money for the renovations, he opened a practice in Rome which catered to foreign dignitaries as well as the local population. From this time on he divided his time between Rome and Capri. Axel Munthe married his first wife, Ultima Hornberg, on 24 November 1880. Hornberg was a Swedish woman he met while she was studying art in Paris. They divorced in the late 1880s, and in 1892 she remarried, to a Swedish manufacturer named Gustaf Richter. In 1907, Munthe then married an English woman, Hilda Pennington-Mellor. They had two sons, Peter and Malcolm. Hilda Munthe came from an aristocratic background. Her family owned two notable properties in England: Hellens in Herefordshire and Southside House, a 17th century mansion on Wimbledon Common in London. An anecdote relates that Munthe was discussing publication of The Story of San Michele with his publisher, John Murray, in the garden at Southside, and Murray related that his ancestor of the same name had sat in the same garden with Lord Byron, discussing publication of Byron's works. During the First World War, Munthe became a British citizen and served in an ambulance corps. He wrote the book Red Cross & Iron Cross about his wartime experiences. Munthe developed an eye malady which eventually made him virtually blind and unable to tolerate the bright Italian sunlight. At this point he returned to Sweden for a number of years and wrote The Story of San Michele (published in 1929), which was well received, having been translated into at least forty-five languages and said to be one of the best-selling books of the 20th century. An operation restored his sight, and he spent several more years at San Michele before returning to Sweden in 1942. Red Cross and Iron Cross Excerpt: "I wish you had been here the first day to help us with the German major," said the Mayor." You evidently know how to handle the Boches better than we do ; it seems as if you could do whatever you liked with them. I fear though that even you would have had some difficulty in tackling him. I ought not to say anything against him ; he is a dying man if he is not already dead, but I must say he was rather troublesome. He was shot through the shoulder, and I fear he was in great pain ; but he certainly was one of the least badly wounded here. He did not speak French very fluently, but he could quite well say anything he wanted. He was first lying next to the blind French soldier you have just seen ; but he complained that he disturbed him, and it is true that the poor man never ceases night or day calling to have the blinds opened. So we moved the major to the corner over there next to his own men. An hour later Soeur Marthe came to say that he was very angry and excited, and that he wanted to speak to me. I knew he was in pain, and I told him I was very sorry I could not do more for him ; and I begged him not to think it was because he was a German he was left in that state, but that, alas ! all the wounded were in the same terrible plight. Pointing to his Iron Cross he said it was an outrageous shame to neglect an officer like that, and that he must have an injection of morphia at once. I told him again that we had no morphia and that I had sent a messenger to St. ------ for medicine and dressing-material, and I hoped surely to have some morphia for to-night, but that he must try to be patient till then. Soeur Marthe brought him a tisane of camomile—it was the only thing we had—but he threw it on the floor and said he must have morphia at once, and began to abuse us all first in French and then, as he grew more and more excited, in what sounded the vilest German. I might have told him that after all it was a German shell that had wrecked the chemist's shop ; but I said nothing. I did not know what more to say, so I left him, and told the nun to try again by and by with the tisane. So far he was in the right in a certain measure ; we all knew he was in pain and nobody minded his abusing us. But you could never guess the reason why he sent for me again in less than half an hour. When Soeur Marthe told it me I said she had misunderstood what he meant and I had to hear it with my own ears before I could believe it. Do you know what he shouted as soon as I came up to him ? He said he was a superior officer and that he must have a room to himself, and could not lie mixed up with his own men. His voice trembled with rage, and he worked himself into such a state of fury that he could no longer find words in French. Pointing to the German soldiers next to him he shouted the whole time a word in German which I did not understand ; but I fear it was not complimentary, for I noticed that the soldier next to him looked at him angrily. This man is not mortally wounded either and is quite conscious, and speaks good French. He has an intelligent and rather refined face, and is, I believe, an educated man. He told me he was from Southern Germany, and that he was a Socialist and hated the war. Considering the state of excitement in which I had left the major, I was not very much surprised when Soeur Marthe came to report a little later that he had convulsions, and I admit I thought at first that his rage had ended in a sort of crise de nerfs. It was only in the afternoon that I began to suspect, from the stiffness of the throat, the fixedness of the jaws, and the increasing difficulty in swallowing, that the poor man had tetanus. I have never seen a case of lock-jaw before, but I knew of course that he had to be isolated, and as we had nowhere else to put him we had to carry him into the charnel house. He indeed had tetanus, and tetanus in its most acute and violent form. In the evening he began having the most terrific attacks of tonic spasms, and the attacks have been increasing in intensity ever since. I need not tell you I have no serum, and even if I had I am sure it would be too late in his case. If I only had some chloroform, or ether, or morphia to help him a little in his worst attacks ! All I could do was to darken the room and put straw on the floor to deaden the sound of our steps, as I have read that even a light or a sudden sound can, by reflex action, bring on an attack. "Early yesterday morning the South German trooper next to him began to show the same signs that had aroused my suspicions with the major, and we had to carry him also to the charnel house. The trooper, however, has so far only had some localized cramps in the jaw, and I have the impression that his case is much less severe. Nobody here has, of course, ever seen a case of this fearful illness, and it is difficult to make any- body stay with them. Soeur Marthe is there now and I have promised to relieve her at Ave Maria. The bells will ring in a few minutes and I must go there. " What a frightful disease ! " he went on, as they walked across the cemetery ; " and that they generally remain conscious to the very end makes it even more terrible to witness." The place was quite dark but for the dim little oil lamp on the floor behind the heads of the two men who lay on each side of the room. The nun stood as near the door as she could. " I am so afraid in this darkness," she whispered. " They are both quite still now ; I had not heard the officer breathe for awhile," said she, " and I thought he must be dead. I read two Pater Nosters and it gave me strength to take the lamp and go up to him to put the crucifix in his hands. As I bent over him I looked at his face, and ..." she burst into tears and put her hands before her eyes, " look at him ! " she whispered with awe, " look at him ! " The Mayor took the lamp, and as the light fell on the dead officer's face he drew back in terror. The head was bent backwards in a last violent spasm, and the rigid muscles of the face stood still in a hideous laugh. " Risus sardonicus ! " said the Doctor. " I have read about it in books, but I have never seen it before, and I hope I shall never see it again ! " said the Mayor, wiping the cold perspiration from his forehead. " Is he dead ? " asked the soldier from the other side of the room. ' Yes, I am afraid he is dead," said the Mayor, endeavouring to steady his voice. " It is no good trying to hide it from you. We had no hope about him from the beginning ; but your case is quite different, and you will get all right if only you try to be calm, lie still, and do not speak." " I am glad he is dead," said the soldier. " He commanded my squadron ; I have lived in fear of him night and day for these two months. He has kicked me many times, and the last time he struck me with his whip across the face was the day before I was wounded. I am glad he is dead ; it is no fault of his if there are still any of his men left alive, but if there are any I should like to live to be able to tell it them ! " ' You must not speak," said the Doctor ; " it is necessary that you should lie quite still and silent if you are to get well." " You say it does me harm to speak ; I say it does me good. I am going to have my say this time, they cannot stifle my voice any longer ; I am a free man at last. You had better listen ; it is the last speech of a German Socialist that you are going to hear. My companions are silent, so far, but the day will come when they also will speak out, and with a far stronger voice than mine. I thank you for what you have done for me ; it is not much, but I suppose it is all you could do. I heard you say to him that we wounded were better off on our side. Maybe it is so once we are in the ambulances, but before we are there we are worse off than on your side, for with us they pick up the officers first and leave us to the last. Did you hear what he called us when he told you he would not lie next to his own men ? He could not find the right word in French in the fury he was in, but he found it all right in his own language. He called us Schweine, swine — that is how a Prussian officer speaks to his men ! We obey them, cowards as we are, because we fear them ; but we hate them as much as we fear them. Yes, he called us swine, and he was quite right, and we ought to be grateful that he did not call us worse names. He might have called us thieves and murderers, and he would still have been right. Two months ago I was an honest man ; I had not willingly offended either the laws of God or man, and I could look my wife straight in the eyes without fear or shame. Now I am a thief, a murderer, and a villain. I know I am damned, I know where I am going to, and I know who has led the way. It was he who led us through the burning streets of Lou vain and through the smoking ruins of what was once called Aerschot ; it was a peaceful town when we entered it and it was a blazing furnace when we left it. It was he who made us shoot the women and children at Dinant, and sprinkle their houses with petroleum and light them with our torches. It was he who made us loot and plunder Termonde and, drunk with wine and blood and lust, break into their houses and outrage their women. I rolled off. to sleep that night with a bottle of champagne in my hand on the steps of the high-altar in one of their churches ... so you had better spare your priest coining to see me through ! Do not trouble about me, you Red Cress people, for I have shot lots of your wounded at famines ! Don't read any Pater Nosters for me you, Sister, for I raped one of the nuns of the Sacre Coeur, whose prayers did not help her more than your prayers can help me. Well may you lie there and laugh at me, Major von Deck en, for having been such a cowardly fool as to obey you so long. You were no coward — you I You were as brave as a man can be, but you were as cruel as a man can be : cruel to us, cruel to your enemies, cruel like the man-eating tiger ! They say you can harm no more. I am not so sure of that ; you had better not go too near him lest he might strike again . I have seen him laugh like that before. I know what that laugh means. It means that somebody is going to die." The man's whole body stiffened in a frightful spasm, but his eyes remained lucid and calm, and the attack was soon over . . . Please note: to avoid opening the book out, with the risk of damaging the spine, some of the pages were slightly raised on the inner edge when being scanned, which has resulted in some blurring to the text and a shadow on the inside edge of the final images. Colour reproduction is shown as accurately as possible but please be aware that some colours are difficult to scan and may result in a slight variation from the colour shown below to the actual colour. In line with eBay guidelines on picture sizes, some of the illustrations may be shown enlarged for greater detail and clarity. The end-papers are very browned and discoloured and a previous owner has placed his name and address stamp (in black ink) on the front pastedown, front free end-paper and rear pastedown: U.K. buyers: To estimate the “packed weight” each book is first weighed and then an additional amount of 150 grams is added to allow for the packaging material (all books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard book-mailer). The weight of the book and packaging is then rounded up to the nearest hundred grams to arrive at the postage figure. I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from postage and packaging. Postage can be combined for multiple purchases. Packed weight of this item : approximately 400 grams Postage and payment options to U.K. addresses: Details of the various postage options can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above). 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I make no charge for packaging materials and do not seek to profit from shipping and handling. Shipping can usually be combined for multiple purchases (to a maximum of 5 kilograms in any one parcel with the exception of Canada, where the limit is 2 kilograms). Packed weight of this item : approximately 400 grams International Shipping options: Details of the postage options to various countries (via Air Mail) can be obtained by selecting the “Postage and payments” option at the head of this listing (above) and then selecting your country of residence from the drop-down list. For destinations not shown or other requirements, please contact me before buying. Due to the extreme length of time now taken for deliveries, surface mail is no longer a viable option and I am unable to offer it even in the case of heavy items. I am afraid that I cannot make any exceptions to this rule. 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Prospective international buyers should ensure that they are able to provide credit card details or pay by PayPal within 7 days from the end of the listing (or inform me that they will be sending a cheque in GBP drawn on a major British bank). Thank you. (please note that the book shown is for illustrative purposes only and forms no part of this listing) Book dimensions are given in inches, to the nearest quarter-inch, in the format width x height. Please note that, to differentiate them from soft-covers and paperbacks, modern hardbacks are still invariably described as being ‘cloth’ when they are, in fact, predominantly bound in paper-covered boards pressed to resemble cloth. Fine Books for Fine Minds I value your custom (and my feedback rating) but I am also a bibliophile : I want books to arrive in the same condition in which they were dispatched. For this reason, all books are securely wrapped in tissue and a protective covering and are then posted in a cardboard container. If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund. Unless the size of the book precludes this, hardback books with a dust-jacket are usually provided with a clear film protective cover, while hardback books without a dust-jacket are usually provided with a rigid clear cover. The Royal Mail, in my experience, offers an excellent service, but things can occasionally go wrong. However, I believe it is my responsibility to guarantee delivery. If any book is lost or damaged in transit, I will offer a full refund. Thank you for looking. Please also view my other listings for a range of interesting books and feel free to contact me if you require any additional information Design and content © Geoffrey Miller
Price: 45 GBP
Location: Flamborough, Bridlington
End Time: 2024-09-23T10:21:15.000Z
Shipping Cost: 27.69 GBP
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Item Specifics
Return postage will be paid by: Buyer
Returns Accepted: Returns Accepted
After receiving the item, your buyer should cancel the purchase within: 30 days
Return policy details: If any book is significantly not as described, I will offer a full refund, including return postage. All books are securely wrapped and posted in a cardboard container.
Binding: Hardback
Place of Publication: London
Non-Fiction Subject: History & Military
Language: English
Author: Axel Munthe
Publisher: John Murray
Year Printed: 1931
