Books of the Day: Life at top of the greasy pole

For Inauguration Day, some books about, and by presidents and those close to them:

Bush, Barbara, A Memoir (Lisa Drew Books/Scribners, 1st ed., 1st printing, 1994). ISBN 0-202-519275-2. The matriarch of the political dynasty tells of her life with George and all the Bushes. Autographed on title page. Hardcover, unclipped dust jacket, very good condition.  HBB price: $50.

Coolidge, Calvin, Have Faith In Massachusetts (Houghton Mifflin/Riverside Press, 1919). Speeches by the then-new Governor. A must-have for enthusiasts of  Silent Cal’s minimalist government views (National Review anointed then to-be and not yet former Senator Scott Brown the New Coolidge). Deaccessioned from the Zephyrhills, FL public library. No dust jacket but otherwise very good condition. Duodecimo, 275 pp. HBB price: $35.

Dole, Elizabeth, Hearts Touched With Fire: My 500 Favorite Inspirational Quotations (Carroll & Graf, 1st ed., 2004). Bon mots collected by the NC native, former senator, cabinet officer, presidential candidate (wife of one, too), and American Red Cross president over her long career in public service. Hardcover, unclipped dust jacket, almost fine condition, 8” x 6”. Autographed on the title page at a Salisbury NC bookstore, February 19, 2005. HBB price: $15.

Eisenhower, Dwight D., At Ease: Stories I Tell To Friends (Doubleday, 1st ed., 1967). LOC 67-13781. The former president’s reminiscences of his life up to his becoming President. Entertaining, less formal than his official memoirs. Hardcover, octavo, 400 pp. Unclipped dust jacket, some wear and tear at the edges. Good condition: HBB price: $15.

Ervin, Senator Sam, Humor of A Country Lawyer (University of North Carolina Press, 1st ed., 1983). ISBN 0-8078-1566-7. Reminiscences by the famed chair of the Watergate Committee. Hardcover, unclipped dust jacket, good condition, inscribed “To Bruce Wofford, with all good wishes” and dated October 23, 1983. HBB price: $40.

Graham, Katharine, Personal History (Alfred A. Knopf, 1st ed., 1997) ISBN 0-394-58585-2. Pulitzer Prize winning autobiography of the woman who unexpectedly inherited a newspaper and used it to stand up to a President of the United States, and inspired one of the great celebrity parties of the 20th century. Hardcover, unclipped dust jacket, very good condition. Octavo, 642 pp. HBB price: $25.

Hoogenboom, Ari, Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior & President (Easton Press, 1st ed. 1996). Library of the Presidents Collector’s Edition, leather bound, octavo, 626 pp. Gilt edging to all sides of the text block, red bindings with gilt embossing. Hubbed spine; silk ribbon page marker. With collector’s notes sheet laid in. Very good condition: HBB price $60.

Johnson, Lyndon B., The Vantage Point: Perspectives of the Presidency 1963-1969 (Holt Rinehart & Winston, 1st ed. 1971). ISBN 0-03-084492-4. A disappointingly dry look at his presidency by one of the most consequential holders of it in the 20th century. Octavo, unclipped dust jacket, some wear about the edges. Good condition. Octavo, 636 pp. HBB price: $20.

Manchester, William, The Death of A President: November 20- November 25, 1963 (Harper & Row, 1st ed., 1967). LOC 67-10496. Solicited by the President’s widow to write this book, Manchester and his publisher found himself on the receiving end of the Kennedy wrath when it was ready to publish- so much so that a disclaimer was printed in it to make clear it was not The Official Death. The first edition was let to go out of print by the Kennedys, making these copies rarer over time. Three copies, all hardcover, unclipped dust jacket, octavo, 710 pp, very good condition. HBB price: $100.