The Secret Diary of Harold L. Ickes: The First Thousand Days

738pp. Black spine over blue boards, red titles on spine. Straight spine, solid corners, sturdy binding. Pages clean and unmarked apart from checkmarks by a few names, in pencil, in the index. Previous owner's signature on FFEP in blue ink (C.S. [Charles Sumner] Pike). Two notes tipped in to front endpapers, and a third laid in, along with a newspaper clipping about Ickes's youth, published after his death. The two tipped-in notes are addressed to Pike, typed, and signed by Ickes. The first, dated May 6, 1943, has Ickes acknowledging a signed copy of The Autobiography of a Curmudgeon was sent to Pike. He also takes a playful swipe at Arthur Henning for having worked for the Chicago Tribune. The second, dated September 1, 1943, has Ickes praising Pike's report on the commitment and spirit of Charlevoix, Michigan, and the town itself. The first opens "My dear Charlie," and the second, "My dear Charley." The laid-in letter is from the Treasury Department to Pike, thanking him for his work selling War Bonds. Letter is signed by Frank N. Isbey. Dust jacket missing chips at head of spine. Original $6.00 price on front flap. Jacket in mylar sleeve. Ickes was a critical figure in New Deal administration and a remarkable, memorable personage. He christened himself a curmudgeon, set out to live up to the name, and kept an extensive, educational and entertaining record of it. He offered a kind of mission statement at one point in his writings, holding that, "If, in these pages, I have hurled an insult at anyone, let it be known that such was my deliberate intent, and I may as well state flatly now that it will be useless and a waste of time to ask me to say that I am sorry." He held the position of Secretary of the Interior for nearly 13 years, making him the longest tenured holder of that position and the second longest serving cabinet member overall in American history. His diary is a remarkable document, and this copy, with the attendant letters and provenance, is more unusual still. Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall.…