Various (Conquest, Robert; Luttwak, Edward N.; Nitze, Paul H.; Rostow, Eugene V., Schlesinger, James R. , et al.)

Defending America: Toward a New Role in the Post-Detente World with: Ephemera

ISBN: 0465015859
New York, NY: Basic Books, Inc./ The Institute for Contemporary Studies, 1977. First Edition. Hardcover. "In what is perhaps the most comprehensive assessment yet made of America's changed position in the world since Vietnam, a dozen world-famous scholars and defense experts take a fresh look at the political, economic, military, and even spiritual implications of détente. Their sobering conclusion: while the Soviet Union has benefited enormously, the United States has allowed itself to fall dangerously behind, not only in military strength but in the power to take new political initiatives...Defending America provides the information and analysis needed in order to reverse the trend toward drift and uncertainty in American policy and a corresponding growing aggressiveness on the part of the Soviet Union. No one interested in world affairs can afford to ignore the issues posed by this vitally important work." (from front & rear flaps) A gathering of essays by acclaimed political scholars, introduced by James R. Schlesinger (1929-2014), the great American economist who served as Secretary of Defense during the Nixon & Ford administrations, & as the first Secretary of Energy during the Carter administration. Published during the 1970s Carter years, it is obvious in hindsight that the subsequent Reagan administration of the following decade took the gist of these essays to heart, & prodded an "aggressive" (actually tottering & overextended) Soviet Union over the precipice into collapse through American defense expenditures that the Soviets could not keep up with. With essays by Robert Conquest, Edward N. Luttwak, Paul H. Nitze, Eugene V. Rostow & many other "Hawkish" writers who, again with hindsight, proved to be prescient analysts of the contemporary world scene & the USA's place in it. An exemplary relic of the later Cold War era with lessons for our own time in an ever-changing world. Hardcover in unclipped first-issue dust jacket (with $13.95 price & "0577" printed on front flap), first edition, first printing as indicated by number sequence on copyright page. From the collection of George V. Buehler (1933-2020), who was a prominent real estate developer & collector in Massachusetts & Arizona. We found & have retained, between blank rear paste-down & endpaper, several documents relating to Buehler's purchase of this item during August 2015, folded & in very fine condition. Also present is a bookmark, in all-but-pristine condition, from The Steinbeck House in Salinas, California- a home of the great American author which became a museum enshrining his legacy. An intriguing & rewarding politically-related collectible, with distinguished provenance & enriching ephemera. Book in good-to-near-fine condition with significant spotting to blank blue cloth front, back covers (hardly any of same at spine, with gilt lettering only slightly dulled & mostly intact); a touch of wear to edges & corners; very slight fading & a few faint scratches to red-dyed upper edge of text block. Interior very fine with only slight extension of binding-cloth onto lower spine-edge, corners & nearby (clearly a minor flaw as issued); a hint of browning to paste-downs, endpapers & page leaves (the latter mostly at blank margins). Dust jacket near-fine with mild rubbing, browning, scratching & occasional spotting to front, back covers, spine & flaps; slight wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners of same. Good- Near Fine / Near Fine. [Item #4854]

Price: $35.00