Morris, Roger (Nixon, Richard)

Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician

ISBN: 0805011218
New York, NY: Henry Holt & Co., 1990. First Printing. Hardcover. “Richard Nixon began 1952, the pivotal year of his political life, in the treacherous undercurrents of Republican politics. Not knowing of […] Stassen’s rekindled ambition or the dangling Vice Presidency before the California senator, Stassen manager Bernard Shanley wrote Nixon on January 10 a “very confidential” letter about heartening private poll results in the supposedly “stalking horse” campaign for Eisenhower. “Harold leads Taft at almost exactly a sixty-forty basis,” Shanley reported cheerfully from the Wisconsin primary, valuable intelligence on the softness of Taft support if not Stassen’s strength. Nixon now continued the intensive schedule of national speeches, more than thirty in the first four months of 1952…By the end of March, with Eisenhower still at his Paris headquarters hanging back from the race, Nixon supporters worried anew that the strategy—and the Vice Presidency—might be fading. “I am convinced if Eisenhower is not the Republican candidate, it could easily be MacArthur for President and Bob Taft for Vice President,” one of them wrote to him (pg. 677-678). Readers of history, especially those with a specialization in American politics, know something about Nixon — and this work is made easier because the life is so prismatic. Did you know, for instance, that Nixon played six instruments, including the saxophone? How could that emblem of all that the Jazzmen defined for us as “cool” hang from the neck of our notorious toady? There is also the fact of Nixon’s wartime service, where he started a massively successively burger stand within the armed forces, and was celebrated, accepted as “one among stags and tippling Princetonians” (to use Fitzgerald’s phrase). Whatever the case, his image, life & legacy greatly effect & haunt the history of America during the 20th century & beyond: Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994), thirty-seventh President of the United States. This work, “Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of An American Politician” by the biographer, Roger Morris — does justice to the complicated life and legacy of the man; cataloging his many personal and psychological ‘imbalances’ and artfully juxtaposing those besides his wolfen, undying aspiration for Power and the Presidency. We at TMB find no more fitting close to this curation than to draft in a most artfully fanged passage authored by the great Hunter S. Thompson (taken, specifically, from the sui-generis obituary Thompson authored in Late April, ’94): “He had the fighting instincts of a badger trapped by hounds. The badger will roll over on its back and emit a smell of death, which confuses the dogs and lures them in for the traditional ripping and tearing action. But it is usually the badger who does the ripping and tearing. It is a beast that fights best on its back: rolling under the throat of the enemy and seizing it by the head with all four claws. That was Nixon’s style — and if you forgot, he would kill you as a lesson to the others.” From the collection of Barbara (1935-2023) & Irving (1933-2018) Nusbaum - world travelers, connoisseurs, eminent collectors of art & books, and the dearly beloved late parents of our esteemed founder, Arthur S. Nusbaum. Hardcover in unclipped dust-jacket: First Edition, as noted on copyright page; first printing, as indicated by number sequence thereon. In very fine condition with little to no visible wear. Dust-jacket is in similarly very fine condition with only very minor bumping to fine edges and corners of front, back covers and spine; mild rubbing, scratching to front, back covers. An extra handling fee will be added for shipping due to the weight of this item. Very Fine / Very Fine. [Item #6035]

Price: $30.00