Dear Bess: The Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, 1910-1959 (GIVE 'EM HELL HARRY) [Paperback]

Robert Ferrell (Editor)

Book Description

Series: GIVE 'EM HELL HARRY | Publication Date: August 3, 1998

 

Once again available is the critically acclaimed Dear Bess, a collection of more than 600 letters that Harry S. Truman wrote to his beloved wife, Bess, from 1910 to 1959. Selected from 1,268 letters discovered in Bess's house after her death in 1982, this extraordinary collection provides an inside look at Truman's life, his thoughts, and his dreams.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

First published in 1983, this installation in Missouri's "Give 'Em Hell Harry" series offers Truman's letters to his wife, Bess, from 1910 to 1949. The letters are divided into chronological sections, each with a biographical/historical introduction to the period plus photographs.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Dear Bess is at once a love story, an astonishing record of what one industrious man managed to accomplish, and an intimate look into the heart and mind of the 33d President of the United States. . . . Truman's letters confirm what his friends and enemies alike always said about him: He was precisely what he seemed, no less, no more. What is startling is how little he seems to have changed over nearly 50 years. The voice of the young farmer of 1910 is almost identical with that of the President he became."—New York Times Book Review

"Theirs was a great American love affair, as practically every one of these 600-plus letters from Harry to Bess attests. . . . But this volume is more than the portrait of a perfect marriage. It's also a dramatic and sometimes hilarious account of how Truman's devotion to self-improvement gradually moved him away from farming and small-town haberdashery and ultimately propelled him into the White House. . . . There has rarely been such a comprehensive record of how a modern statesman thought."—Newsweek

"There are glimpses here of a forgotten America, when the phone was a novelty and the horse still king. . . . [Ferrell] has done an admirable job putting the letters into perspective. Best of all there are passages in these letters that give an idea of the way Truman's mind worked."—Christian Science Monitor

"This is a fascinating collection, reflecting [Truman's] devotion to his wife. His prejudices, financial worries, political tactics, and insight into the events and leaders of his time create a vivid portrait of a remarkable man. . . . Ferrell's editing is superb, and he has included a good collection of photographs from the Trumans' pre-presidential years."—Library Journal

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Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: University of Missouri (August 3, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826212034
• ISBN-13: 978-0826212030
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,136,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( T ) > Truman, Harry

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love in old Missouri, March 3, 2000

By 

Frank H. Straus (Springfield, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Bess: The Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, 1910-1959 (GIVE 'EM HELL HARRY) (Paperback)

First of all, the potential buyer of this book should know that it will throw you back to the years when Harry, the lower-middle-class farmer's boy from outer Jackson County, was courting Bess Wallace, a moderately rich girl and young woman (albeit from a very dysfunctional family) from prosperous Independence. In the 1910s this was done, as it is done in every generation, but only with great difficulty and some soul-searching on both sides.

So buy and read this book if you want to read about young Harry's epic quest. Bess' letters to Harry are lost, but Harry Truman's letters are so vivid that their contents can be partly reconstucted. The two were real soul mates in the end - in the true sense of this most over-used phrase. They could actually converse by letter. How many of us are so lucky?

Buy and read this book if you want to see these two attractive people in the vanished world of 1910s Missouri. If you're looking for President Harry Truman, you won't find much of him here. By 1945 this pair had been married and living together for 25 years and were no longer writing daily letters to each other. But if you are one of those people who think that Truman was one of our greatest Presidents because he never forgot who he was and where he came from, you may want to know where he came from. He came from here, in this book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Love Story, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Dear Bess: The Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, 1910-1959 (GIVE 'EM HELL HARRY) (Paperback)

The courtship of Harry Truman and Bess Wallace, is *the* over-looked love story of the century. Dear Bess is the most romantic book I have ever read. Harry's simplicity and honesty is a joy to read, and Bess would have been a fool to turn him down a second time.

From a historical standpoint, this book is a glimpse into the everyday, pre-presidential life of HST. The respect and dignity this Missouri farmer had for the Office of the President is refreshing. I come away from the book feeling like I know Harry. Coupling Dear Bess with David McCullough's Truman gives a picture of the man and his times in a very compelling fashion.

Dear Bess is a must-read for anyone who wants to know what love and responsibility are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing look at a Future President, January 15, 2006

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Bess: The Letters from Harry to Bess Truman, 1910-1959 (GIVE 'EM HELL HARRY) (Paperback)

This very personal look at young Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) should be of interest to history buffs and fans of our 33rd President. The book is primarily a collection of letters that Truman sent to his girlfriend (and later wife) Bess Wallace (Truman), the letters being found in her home shortly after she passed away at age 97 in 1982. Most of these letters were written by young suitor Harry Truman prior to the First World War, when he was a struggling farmer and she a desirable beau from a prosperous (if dysfunctional) city family. Sadly, Harry didn't save Bess' letters to him, and those are lost to history. In these letters Truman comes across as decent, honest, and intelligent - if slightly prejudiced against immigrant workers in Kansas City. If his presidential talent isn't evident in these letters, his sturdy Missouri roots clearly are.