[Illustrating John Hersey’s 1945 novel A Bell for “Adano”, and created back – waaayyy back!, in the context of the Internet – in December of 2016 (was it that long ago?!), this post has now been “updateified” to include the cover of Avon Books’ 1960 edition of John Hersey’s novel.]
First, the cover of Dial Press’ 1945 edition, featuring simple Italian-themed illustrations by “Salter” – probably Stefan Salter – and far greater emphasis on text than graphics. Stefan Salter’s brother George, also an illustrator, created very (v e r y !) original cover illustrations for The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
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Second, Carl Diehl’s cover for Bantam Books’ 1946 edition of the novel. Now, illustration takes precedence over text. Note the early style of Bantam Books’ rooster logo!
Third, Bantam retained (and enlarged) Salter’s cover art from the hardback edition for the paperback’s rear cover. Though the color selection is different, all features are identical, from clouds to buildings.
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And, the cover blurb…
This stirring novel by a young American has won exceptional tribute since it was first published, and over 325,000 copies of the book were sold in its first year. Chosen by the Literary Guild of America, A Bell for Adano was listed as ‘Imperative’ by the Council on Books in Wartime. Fredric March starred in the Broadway hit and Twentieth Century-Fox produced the motion picture of A Bell for Adano. French, Portuguese, Russian and Swedish translations have been published, as well as a special Braille edition.
This Bantam Book contains the complete text of the original edition, shown here. Not one word has been changed or omitted. The low-priced Bantam edition is made possible by the large scale and effective promotion of the original edition, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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As for the novel itself? I read it some decades ago, and though it was well-written and charming, with characters clearly drawn, I never found it to be to be the most compelling piece of literature. Perhaps I’d have a different impression, today, in 2021. But, I presently have other works in my queue of a vastly different nature, such as a selection of stories by Catherine L. Moore, and a tale by Lawrence O’Donnell…
In any event, hers’s an excerpt from the story, to give you its literary “flavor”…
BRIGADIER GENERAL WILLIAM B. WILSON of the Quartermaster Depot in Algiers leaned back at his desk
and shouted across the room to his deputy in a rich Southern accent:
“Ham, listen to this, goddamit,
sometimes I think those English think they own us.”
The Colonel addressed as Ham looked up from the Stars & Stripes.
“What have the limeys done now?” he asked.
“Just got this letter, damnedest thing I ever saw,” the General said.
“It’s from an American major, too,
just goes to show how those glib bastards can put it over on us if we don’t watch ‘em.”
The Colonel called Ham said: “Yeah, they sure are good talkers.”
Listen here, now, he says:
‘Am writing you at the suggestion of Major General His Excellency Lord Runcin – that fancy bastard.
I met him one time down at the Aletti,
and I just happened to say,
like anyone does who’s a gentleman when he says good-bye,
I said to him: ‘If there’s anything I can ever do for you, just let me now.’
He came right back at me and said:
‘I may,’ he said, ‘you Americans have everything, you know.’
So damn if I didn’t get a letter from him about two weeks later
reminding me of what I said and asking me if I’d get him a jeep.
Well, this Amgot thing sounded pretty important to me,
so I just about busted my neck to wangle him a jeep.
Soon as he got that he wrote me thank-you note
and asked me if the Americans had any pipes,
that he was lost without a pipe,
and could I get him one?
So I got him a pipe.
Then I had to get him an electric razor, for godsake.
Then he wrote me that chewing gum was such a curiosity among his staff
would I get him a large box of chewing gum?
He even had the nerve to ask me to get him a case of whisky,
he said he got a ration of rum and gin, but all the Scotch was imported to the States,
so would I mind terribly nailing him a case of Scotch?
I made up my mind I was never going to get him another thing after that,
even if I got sent home.”
“What’s he want now?”
“He doesn’t want it, this Major of ours wants it, that’s what makes me mad.
Old Runcin seems to think I’m a one-man shopping service,
and he goes around recommending to people to write me all their screwy things they want.”
“Well, what does this guy want?”
“Jesus, Ham, he wants a bell.”
“What the hell for?”
“He says here:
‘I consider it most important for the morale and continued good behavior of this town
to get it a bell to replace the one which was taken away as per above.’
I don’t know, something about a seven-hundred-year-old bell.
But that’s not the point, Ham.
The thing that makes me mad is this English bastard thinking he owns us.”
The Colonel named Ham,
who was expert at saying Yes to his superiors and No to his inferiors, said:
“Yeah, I see what you mean.”
“They do it all the time, Ham.
You watch, an Englishman will always eat at an American mess if he gets a chance.
Look at Lend-Lease, why hell, we’re just giving it to ‘em.
And don’t you think they’ll ever pay us for it.
They won’t even thank us for it, Ham.”
The Colonel named Ham said: “I doubt if they will.”
“I know they won’t.
And look at the way they’re trying to run the war.
They got their officers in all the key spots.
Ham, we’re just winning this damn war for the British Empire.”
The Colonel named Ham said: “That’s right, I guess.”
“No sir, I’m damned if I’ll root around and find a bell for this goddam sponger of an Englishman.
Where the hell does he think I’m going to find a seven-hundred-year-old bell?
No sir, Ham, I won’t do it.
Write a letter to this Major, will you, Ham?”
“Yes sir, what’ll I say?”
“Lay it on, dammit,
tell him the U.S. Army doesn’t have a stock of seven-hundred-year-old bells,
tell him he should realize there is a war on,
tell him to watch out for these goddam Englishmen
or they’ll take the war right away from us.”
“Yes sir.”
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Fourth, Avon’s quite 1960 edition, with cover art inspired by and nearly identical to a photograph taken by illustrator James Sante Avati. This cover art strongly symbolizes the relationships (potentially romantic, and, otherwise) between Major Joppolo and the people of Adano, rather than connoting a generic “Italian” scene.
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The models were Tom Dunn, and Avati’s daughter Alexandra, as seen in the photograph below, taken by Avati at Broad Street, Red Bank, New Jersey, in September, 1959. (Information and photo from the flickr photostream of Piet Schreuders, from Schreuders’ and Kenneth Fulton’s The Paperback Art of James Avati.)
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Also at Piet Schreuders’ flickr photostream is this image of Alexandra “Zan” Avati – an outtake from the session for A Bell for Adano – taken by her father, dated April 1, 1960.
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When the Americans arrived, the end of war came to Adano, but with it came Major Victor Jopplo to start another kind of battle – not for the heads but for the hearts of the former enemy.
It was a lonely battle for Major Joppolo, and a terrible important one, but the fiery red wine, the love of laughter and the gentle-mannered, hot-eyed girls of Adano made the drama look more like raucous comedy. And in the end Major Jopplo won the heart of Adano – but at a price to himself.
This story fairly bounces off the page with vitality. John Hersey has set a scene splashed with a bright, laughing sun that sharply exposes the hidden lines and shadows in the smiling face of the little town of Adano.
John Hersey needs no introduction to American readers. With the publication of his first novel, A BELL FOR ADANO, the hard-boiled young reporter won the Pulitzer Prize and was hailed as a major new American novelist. Since then John Hersey has written HIROSHIMA, THE WALL, MARMOT DRIVE, A SINGLE PEBBLE and THE WAR LOVER – bestsellers all. He is one of the great living novelists of the Western World.
References
John R. Hersey, at Wikipedia
John R. Hersey, at FindAGrave
John R. Hersey Papers, at Yale University
James S. Avati, at Wikipedia