Tales Press

08/14/2025

Happy to spend the week at USMCRD in San Diego to promote the late Col. Dave Severance’s book, MY IWO JIMA SAGA.

11/26/2024

This holiday season, consider purchasing copies of Marine Col. Dave Severance's book, "My Iwo Jima Saga," for those in your life who appreciate history and valor. Available exclusively through Tales Press through the end of the year. Orders are filled promptly.

The first-hand account is a valuable contribution to the historical record of the infamous World War II Battle of Iwo Jima by the commander of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines -- which included the 40-man patrol that raised the American flag (two, in fact) on top of Mount Suribachi and inspired a nation to victory.

Other books from Tales Press are also available at the website.

The authorized, first-hand account by the commander of the company that raised two American flags atop Mount Suribachi during the World War II battle of Iwo Jima in February 1945 — a bloody battle that was immortalized in the world famous, Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Joe Rosenthal that he...

10/23/2024

Available exclusively from Tales Press, MY IWO JIMA SAGA is the just-published, first-hand account by the late Col. Dave E. Severance, company commander of the Marine patrol that raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi during the World War II battle in February 1945 — a bloody campaign that was immortalized in a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Joe Rosenthal of The Associated Press that helped inspire a war-weary nation to victory. Order your copy today. https://www.talespress.com/shop/my-iwo-jima-saga

07/25/2024

Click the photo below to read Ray Elliott's piece in the Champaign-Urbana newspaper this week about knowing Col. Dave Severance (USMC, Ret.), the commander of the company that raised the flag on Iwo Jima. Severance entrusted his firsthand account of the seminal battle to Ray for publication at Tales, and it is now available for purchase.

Click here to order online: https://www.talespress.com/shop/my-iwo-jima-saga

Like and share this post to expand our readership and help us spread this distinguished veteran's story.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve those awards,” Col. Dave E. Severance told me humbly, as many do who have fought for our freedom, seen a lot of

12/04/2023

‘Tis the season of giving, and curling up with a good book! Remember friends and family who have an interest in history and gaining a better understanding of the experiences of those who have served in the U.S. military. Visit the Tales Press online bookstore (https://www.talespress.com/shop) and order by Dec. 15 for U.S. delivery by Christmas.

07/26/2023

Special new promotion!

Purchase your copy of "Wild Hands Toward the Sky" through the Tales Press website and receive a free print of the original Bellair General Store.

This image was central to Tales' first publication, Tales from the General Store, and a general store just like it is represented in the postwar Midwestern small-town life depicted in "Wild Hands Toward the Sky."

https://www.talespress.com/shop/wild-hands-toward-the-sky

06/02/2023

Read Ray Elliott's latest blog post, where he reflects on the importance of remembering and learning from the Holocaust. Subscribe for free on the website to make sure you never miss a post.

Given the divided and conflicted world we live in today, it was very striking and thought-provoking to see the traveling exhibit about the Holocaust that was recently featured at the Champaign-Urbana Elks Lodge 

04/09/2023

Have you ever sat down with older family members to ask about their life experiences when they were younger? Or perhaps you’ve considered writing down your own experiences for future generations. It’s a practice we encourage you to think about as families gather over the Easter holiday or come together for summer cookouts and such. It’s a big factor behind the very existence of Tales Press—where memoir and fiction are the vehicles we promote to help preserve aspects of Midwest culture and small-town American life. Because of our work with veterans, we’ve created quite a niche of stories about World War II and the impact it has had on those in military service and their families. Visit our website at www.talespress.com.

02/23/2023

The World War II Battle of Iwo Jima began 78 years ago this month. U.S. forces landed on the island on February 19, 1945, with the famous photograph of the flag-raising atop Mt. Suribachi following days later on February 23rd. This pivotal Pacific battle would last for a grizzly 36 days before the Japanese surrendered.

Learn more about this turning point in the war and the ramifications of its violence, loss, and sacrifice in Ray Elliott's novella "Iwo Blasted Again," written from extensive research and interviews with veterans who experienced it. Click below to read more and order a copy.

Iwo Blasted Again By Ray ElliottIwo Jima Marine veteran Jack Britton has carried the horror of combat and the loss of his young wife and his buddies with him for the past 60 years. Now, in the last 36 hours of his life in a hospital intensive care unit, he revisits those aspects of his life and grap...