A BEAUTIFUL LIMITED EDITION COPY CONTAINING DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER’S SIGNED D DAY MESSAGE TO ALLIED TROOPS
Dwight D. Eisenhower. Crusade in Europe. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1948. First edition, number 858 of 1,426 limited edition copies signed by Ike at the bottom of a facsimile of his D-Day message to the Allied troops. Large octavo. xiv, [1,half title], [1, blank], [1]-559 pages. Profusely illustrated with battlefield and theater maps by Rafael Palacios, some of which are printed in color, and a number of photographs selected by Edward Steichen. Publisher’s light brown cloth with titles in black and gilt. Top edge gilt. Fore-edge and bottom edge uncut. Cartographic endpapers. Housed in the original green paper slipcase with a title plate on one side. Minor wear to slipcase. A bright and fine copy in a near fine slipcase (better than usually seen).
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“Crusade in Europe, published in late 1948, was greeted with almost unanimous critical acclaim, along with praise for its author’s modesty, candor, fairness, tact, and general humanity. It was called the best American military reminiscence (with the possible exception of Grant’s), and ‘the work of the best soldier-historian since, perhaps, Caesar and his commentaries.’ Crusade in Europe not only gave Eisenhower financial security; it stood the test of time (it was still selling briskly in the 1980s), and it added immeasurably to his popularity. It was a book worthy of the man and his services to the nation” (Stephen E. Ambrose: Eisenhower: Soldier and President, p. 237).
