G-I’ve been Around — Hammond WWII Service Album 1945

📖 G-I’ve been Around by C. S. Hammond & Co. (1945) — A WWII personal service memory album combining color theater maps, official Army-Navy photographs, and blank scrapbook pages designed for American service members to record their wartime experiences.

QUICK FACTS

• Publisher: C. S. Hammond & Co., New York (88 Lexington Avenue)
• Year: 1945 (Copyright 1945, first edition)
• Format: Hardcover, no dust jacket
• Illustrator: Stephen J. Voorhies (sketches)
• Designer: Douglas H. Haight
• Pages: ~120+ | ISBN: None (pre-ISBN era)
• Condition: Very Good minus (VG-) — full report below

THE STORY

Published near the conclusion of World War II, G-I’ve been Around was designed as a personal commemorative record for American service members across all branches — Army, Navy, and Marines. The book’s full subtitle reads: “The G-I’s own commemorative record of his gallant and victorious achievements in World War II, in whatever branch he served.” It was published with a dedication “to every G.I. of every race, creed and color, from rural section towns and cities of this great land — a mighty tide of men and women whose banner of Freedom was ever high on the mast-head of Victory.”

THIS EDITION

This is the only edition of G-I’ve been Around, published by C. S. Hammond & Co. — the renowned American cartographic firm famous for their world atlases and maps. Hammond leveraged their mapmaking expertise to produce full-color theater maps covering every major WWII combat zone: the Balkan Peninsula, France and Western Europe, Northern Eurasia, Asia, and the Pacific. The book was manufactured in the United States and designed to be both a reference atlas and a personal scrapbook.

CONTENTS & ILLUSTRATIONS

The book contains 13 full-color double-page theater maps spanning pages 51 through at least 66, covering France and Western Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, Northern Eurasia, and Asia. Official U.S. Army and Navy photographs appear throughout, including images of MacArthur’s paratroopers, the USS Hornet Tokyo raid, the Attu Island landing in the Aleutians, and the Marshall Islands naval armada. Illustrated with sketches by Stephen J. Voorhies and designed by Douglas H. Haight, the book also features personal service record pages with sections labeled “I was in!”, “On my way!”, “I shipped out!”, “I’ve been around!”, and “Home again!” — plus blank scrapbook pages for clippings and mementos.

COVER ART & DESIGN

The front cover features a deep blue cloth binding with the title “G-I’ve been Around” in white cursive lettering above a large red compass rose with radiating lines — a fitting motif for a book about global wartime travel. The back cover displays a white circular emblem with a sailor leaning over a globe on a blue field. The spine carries the title in white with small gold stars flanking the text, and “C.S. Hammond & Company” printed at the base.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Published by C. S. Hammond & Co., one of America’s most important cartographic publishers, known for their world atlases dating back to 1901
• A rare surviving example of a WWII-era personal service record book — most were filled in and discarded; this copy remains clean and unwritten
• Features official U.S. Army Signal Corps and U.S. Navy photographs documenting key Pacific and European theater operations
• The dedication to service members “of every race, creed and color” reflects the diversity of the wartime armed forces

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What edition is this? This is the first and only edition, published in 1945 by C. S. Hammond & Co. No later printings are documented.

What condition is it in? Very Good minus (VG-) — board corners show bumping with wrapping worn through at edges; blue cover graphics and red compass motif remain clear and fully legible. Pages are clean, unwritten, and tightly bound with light age-toning consistent with 1940s paper stock. Full report below.

Is the book unused? Yes — this copy has never been filled in. All service record pages, scrapbook pages, and map sections are blank and ready for use or display.

FOR COLLECTORS

This is an uncommon find in unwritten condition. Most surviving copies were completed by their original owners and carry personal wartime records. A clean, blank example like this — with crisp color maps and bright photo illustrations — is harder to locate than completed copies. Of particular interest to WWII memorabilia collectors, military history enthusiasts, and vintage cartography collectors.

See accompanying images for full condition details.

Will ship promptly, carefully packaged.

HFB-SEO-v1: 2026-08-02

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