Guadalcanal Diary (book)
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 First edition | |
| Author | Richard Tregaskis |
|---|---|
| Subject | Guadalcanal, World War II |
| Publisher | Random House |
Publication date | 1943[1] |
Guadalcanal Diary is a memoir written by war correspondent Richard Tregaskis and originally published by Random House on January 1, 1943.[2] The book recounts the author's time with the United States Marine Corps on Guadalcanal in the early stages of the pivotal months-long battle there starting in 1942.[3] It was the first book published by Random House to sell more than 100,000 copies.[4]
Almost immediately after publication, the memoir was made into a movie of the same name featuring William Bendix, Richard Conte, Anthony Quinn, and John Archer, marking the movie debut of Richard Jaeckel.
The book chronicles the author's experiences as a war correspondent for the International News Service (INS) during the first seven weeks of the Guadalcanal campaign, from the first landings on August 7, 1942 to his departure on September 26, 1942.[5] Tregaskis was also around for Operation Dovetail, a practice run for the Guadalcanal landings, but while he was on board one of the troop transports involved, his book does not cover the operation or him being at Koro Island, where the operation took place.[6]
Tregaskis relates combat and conversation in vernacular, citing the full name, rank, and hometown of each of the Marines he encountered during the weeks he was on the island.
Background
During his time on the frontlines with troops from the United States Marine Corps, Tregaskis wrote down what he saw onto various small notebooks, which he stored in his pockets and had numbered for easier reference. At night, he would compile the information into his diary, adding references to specific books in the event he wanted to publish his journal as a full-length book.[4]
On September 25, Tregaskis flew out of the island to New Caledonia and then boarded a flight for Honolulu, where he began writing Guadalcanal Diary. Due to wartime media regulations, he had to write the book under supervision at the Navy offices at Pearl Harbor, and his diary was kept in a safe during the night. (Tregaskis never got the diary back.)[4] According to a follow-up essay Tregaskis wrote in 1964, his manuscript was subject to military censorship by the Office of Naval Intelligence. For example, one of the Naval Intelligence officers excised a portion about Japanese encampments smelling "sweet-ish"; the officer, according to Tregaskis, was "apparently" worried about Japanese troops reading the book and using deodorant to hide their camps.[7]
Tregaskis finished his manuscript in November 1942 and sent it over to Barris Faris, editor-in-chief of the INS, who in turn sent it over to Ward Greene, head editor of King Features Syndicate. Greene then sent it out to nine other publishers for bidding, an unusual practice at the time. Bennett Cerf, one of the founders of Random House, received his copy on November 11, read it from beginning to end that night, and called Greene the next day to secure publishing rights, anticipating a high demand for stories about the Guadalcanal campaign. Random House rushed Guadalcanal Diary into print and published the book on January 18, 1943.[4]