Memoirs. by TRUMAN, Harry S - 1955-56: Year of Decisions; Years of Trial and Hope.

Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc.,, 1955-56. Inscribed to a collaborator on his daughter's biography First edition, deluxe issue reserved for Truman, inscribed by the author a couple of years before his death to the historian Thomas Fleming while he was aiding Margaret Truman with writing her biography of her father.
In a shaky and slightly incoherent hand, reflecting his age and declining health, Truman has inscribed on the half-title of vol. I: "To Tom Fleming with kind [sic] with kindest regards and appreciation of his friends, Harry S. Truman", and on the dedication page of vol. II: "To Tom Fleming Best of luck and a happy life Harry S. Truman".
The well-known historian Thomas Fleming (1927-2017), eventually author of over 40 fiction and nonfiction titles, was selected to assist Margaret Truman with the writing and researching of her biography of her father. Over eight days in 1970, he and Margaret sat with the former president in his library in Independence, Missouri, going over the intimate details of Truman's life. Though the sessions were informal, the information gathered played a major role in Margaret's naturally favourable biography. Published in 1972, the year in which Truman died, the biography (simply entitled Harry S. Truman) became a national bestseller. It played an important role in improving the popular reputation of Truman, who had long lingered under the widespread notion that he was not entirely qualified for the presidency, a role thrust on him at the sudden death of Roosevelt. Fleming assisted Margaret in her research for her subsequent books, including Women of Courage (1976), Bess W. Truman (1986), and The First Ladies (1996).
The deluxe issue of the Memoirs was purchased en bloc by Truman for presentation to associates. The standard trade issue of the first edition of Truman's Memoirs was in cloth and jacket. The publishers planned a deluxe signed limited issue, to retail at $35. However, Truman blocked the project, writing "I cannot possible enter into a program which would look as if I were selling autographs instead of a book" (letter to editor in chief of Doubleday, 1 July 1955, in Ferrell, p. 319), feeling that it was beneath the dignity of a former president. However, Truman was enamoured with the idea of a deluxe format of his memoirs, and requested the publishers sell him 500 copies (ibid.), seeing their use as copies for presentation. These copies in deluxe bindings were split between those in morocco, as here, and in high-quality cloth, both in card slipcases. Invoices in Truman's personal papers (information kindly provided to Peter Harrington by the Truman Library) confirm that Truman was billed for 101 morocco-bound copies, and 401 cloth-bound copies, at a combined price of $2.80 for each pair of cloth volumes and $10 for each morocco-bound pair. These invoices refer to the copies as Truman's "personal edition". Doubleday billed Truman in total $5,533.24, then a very substantial sum. Truman inscribed and presented many copies to dignitaries and associates over the years, and as shown here was still inscribing copies in the years up to his death. Remaining copies passed to his presidential library. Two volumes, octavo. Original deluxe blue morocco, spines lettered in gilt, gilt facsimile signature to front covers, grey endpapers, top edges gilt. Second volume with the original acetate jacket. Both volumes housed in the original card slipcases. Housed in a dark blue cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Fine copies in near-fine slipcases with slight rubbing. Robert H. Ferrell (ed.), Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman, 1997.