Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist (Signed First Edition, First Printing)

Ferguson, Niall

ISBN 10: 1594206538 / ISBN 13: 9781594206535

Published by Penguin Press, 2015

Signed First Edition, First Printing of the first volume in a comprehensive biography of the one of the most consequential figures in international affairs in the Cold War era -- Henry Kissinger, the controversial intellectual who was a primary architect of U.S. foreign policy in the 1960s and 1970s as national security advisor and Secretary of State during administrations of President Richard Nixon and President Gerald Ford. This volume covers Kissinger's early life, intellectual and political development and ascent to power ending with appointment as newly elected President Nixon's foreign affairs guru. Signed by Niall Ferguson on the title page. 986 pages. Has a small chip on the top edge of the spine and light edge wear. Due to the weight of this volume, shipping outside the U.S. will require additional funds for postage. Seller Inventory # 009929

Synopsis:

The definitive biography of Henry Kissinger, based on unprecedented access to his private papers

No American statesman has been as revered or as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Once hailed as “Super K”—the “indispensable man” whose advice has been sought by every president from Kennedy to Obama—he has also been hounded by conspiracy theorists, scouring his every “telcon” for evidence of Machiavellian malfeasance. Yet as Niall Ferguson shows in this magisterial two-volume biography, drawing not only on Kissinger’s hitherto closed private papers but also on documents from more than a hundred archives around the world, the idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding.

The first half of Kissinger’s life is usually skimmed over as a quintessential tale of American ascent: the Jewish refugee from Hitler’s Germany who made it to the White House. But in this first of two volumes, Ferguson shows that what Kissinger achieved before his appointment as Richard Nixon’s national security adviser was astonishing in its own right. Toiling as a teenager in a New York factory, he studied indefatigably at night. He was drafted into the U.S. infantry and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge—as well as the liberation of a concentration camp—but ended his army career interrogating Nazis. It was at Harvard that Kissinger found his vocation. Having immersed himself in the philosophy of Kant and the diplomacy of Metternich, he shot to celebrity by arguing for “limited nuclear war.” Nelson Rockefeller hired him. Kennedy called him to Camelot. Yet Kissinger’s rise was anything but irresistible. Dogged by press gaffes and disappointed by “Rocky,” Kissinger seemed stuck—until a trip to Vietnam changed everything.
 
The Idealist is the story of one of the most important strategic thinkers America has ever produced. It is also a political Bildungsroman, explaining how “Dr. Strangelove” ended up as consigliere to a politician he had always abhorred. Like Ferguson’s classic two-volume history of the House of Rothschild, Kissinger sheds dazzling new light on an entire era. The essential account of an extraordinary life, it recasts the Cold War world.

About the Author: Niall Ferguson is one of the world's most renowned historians. He is the author of Paper and Iron, The House of Rothschild, The Pity of War, The Cash Nexus, Empire, Colossus, The War of the World, The Ascent of Money, High Financier, Civilization, The Great Degeneration, Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist, and The Square and the Tower. He is Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a Visiting Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing. His many awards include the Benjamin Franklin Prize for Public Service (2010), the Hayek Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2012) and the Ludwig Erhard Prize for Economic Journalism (2013).

Bibliographic Details

Title: Kissinger, 1923-1968: The Idealist (Signed ...
Publisher: Penguin Press
Publication Date: 2015
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
Signed: Signed by Author(s)
Edition: 1st Edition