- Hardback book with Dust Jacket edited by Robert H. Ferrell
- Over 590 pages
- Copyright © 1983 by Robert H. Ferrell
" In 1890 Harry Truman met Bess Wallace in Sunday school and, as he said years later, knew she would be his life's love. This chance meeting led to one the most durable marriages of our century - and a flood of correspondence. Bess kept most of Harry's letters in various nooks and crannies of the house in Independence, Missouri. They wrote to each other almost daily, beginning with their early courtship when Harry was a farmer near Grandview, through his army experience in World War I, his years in Missouri politics, and his terms as United States Senator and, eventually, President of the United States. " " As documents of life in a bygone era, the letters are captivating. They form a narrative relating almost five decades of events that touched not only Truman's personal life, but also, on a broader scale, the nation that he loved. It is all seen through the eyes of an uncomplicated man who couldn't bring himself to use politics as others did for personal gain, who profoundly wanted the world to benefit from his labors, and who tried, throughout his life, to be a man his "Dear Bess" would respect. " " In these letters we see the familiar Truman writing about his life as it unfolded - the man with a "give 'em hell" temper and puckish charm. We see the adoring and protective father; the common man who worried about money, cars, getting too little sleep, and visiting a dentist. But we also see a side he kept hidden - the man who moved between self-confidence and self-doubt, the man who always needed to share his fears and joys with the woman he loved. " Contents include: " PREFACE EDITORIAL NOTE I. ON THE FARM 1. Head Over Heels 2. Just Another Year 3. ... and Another 4. From Father to Son 5. Aiming to Get Rich: Lead, Zinc, and Oil II. YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW 6. Camp Doniphan, Oklahoma 7. Somewhere in France 8. Action and Aftermath III. POLITICS, LOCAL AND NATIONAL 9. Jackson County Politician 10. Freshman Senator 11. Hard Work Pays Off IV. LEADING THE COUNTRY 12. The Committee 13. Sixteen Hundred Pennsylvania Avenue 14. Changes for the Future EPILOGUE LATER YEARS LIST OF LETTERS INDEX " The book is in very nice condition with minor wear to the cover, but the dust jacket is worn and torn in several places. No torn or ripped pages. There is a stamped message on one page as well as on the side edges of the pages, visible from the side view. I noticed a few pages that have some black lines along the right margin, which may be a printing error or left as an imprint from a bookmark? |