Wilson's Ideals.
Washington, DC: American Council on Public Affairs, [1942]. Hardcover. Small 4to. Pale blue cloth with dark blue lettering. 151pp. Very good. Mild binding wear, with spine faintly sunned; text block tight and near fine, with endpapers age toned. Item #50360
Attractive first edition of this selection of the 28th president's writings, divided by Padover into eleven categories. This unique copy hails from the library of Adlai E. Stevenson III (1930-2021, U.S. Senator from Illinois) and before him his father, Adlai E. Stevenson II (1900-65, Illinois governor and twice Democratic presidential candidate). Governor Stevenson signs the front flyleaf lightly in pencil, and his status as a staunch Wilson admirer shows in his markings. Stevenson rarely wrote anything in the margins of the many books he consumed, but he does pencil a checkmark alongside a Wilson quote in the "Isolationism" section of the chapter on foreign policy (and the paper slip he marked the page with is still present), he pencils "1619" alongside "Article X" of the chapter on the League of Nations and folds the corner (and the folded 8½" X 11" printed sheet from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation transmitting this book on 20 January 1943 is laid in here, with Stevenson's pencilled checkmark on it), and he folds the corner and pencils four checkmarks alongside four quotes in the "Principles" section of the chapter on peace and war (and laid in here is a full page torn from the December 1956 issue of "Freedom & Union" magazine, with article "Woodrow Wilson's Words Live"). Assuming Stevenson read this around 1943, as is likely, he was at that time special assistant and principal attorney for Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, then in 1945 took a similar position with Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, where with Assistant Secretary of State Archibald MacLeish he worked on what would become the successor to the League of Nations -- the United Nations. "Wilson's Ideals" perhaps motivated and informed Stevenson at this critical time. While not a scarce book, this is a special copy with intriguing provenance.
Price: $150.00