FIRST EDITION OF PRESIDENT HERBERT HOOVER'S CHALLENGE TO LIBERTY
HOOVER, Herbert. The Challenge to Liberty. New York and London: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934. Octavo, original red cloth. $750.
First edition of Hoover's challenge to FDR's New Deal arguing it abandoned "the heritage of liberty."
Following Franklin Roosevelt's victory in the presidential election of 1932, Herbert Hoover retired to write this challenge to the New Deal, in which he "maintained that the New Dealers had abandoned 'the heritage of liberty' in leading the country on a futile quest for 'security.' Condemning the growth of regimentation, bureaucracy and centralization… Hoover raised an important issue when he claimed that big government would attempt to protect itself from criticism by blocking the free flow of information and therefore represented an insidious threat to freedom of speech and the press" (Polenberg, 114-5). First issue with Scribner's "A" on copyright page; published in red cloth (this copy) and in blue cloth, no priority established. Without scarce original dust jacket.
A fine copy.