INSCRIBED BY HERBERT HOOVER

HOOVER, Herbert. The Challenge to Liberty. New York and London: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1934. Octavo, original blue cloth, supplied dust jacket. $1400.

First edition of Hoover's argument against the New Deal, inscribed: "To Miss Janet Richards With the Kind Regards of Herbert Hoover," in scarce dust jacket.

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 blue cloth (this copy) and in red cloth, no priority established. The scarce dust jacket has been supplied from another copy. This copy is inscribed by Hoover to Janet Richards, most likely the prominent suffragette and charter member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Richards wrote extensively for the Washington Post, during which time she interviewed a number of presidents including Herbert Hoover.

Book lovely with only mild rubbing and toning to spine, dust jacket with a few faint spots of foxing and only light wear and toning to extremities. A near-fine inscribed copy.