Description
The first edition of Letters to Mamie, inscribed by First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower to Barbara Walters.
Octavo, 282pp. Beige hardcover, red cloth spine, title stamped in gilt. Stated “First Edition” on copyright page. Light toning to leaves, appears unread. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $8.95 on front flap, light sunning to spine, a very good example.
Inscribed on the front free endpaper, just two months before her death: “For my good friend Barbara Walters / Mamie Doud Eisenhower / August 30, 1979.”
An exceptionally rare signed book.
This is the only known copy of Letters to Mamie signed by First Lady Mamie Doud Eisenhower and only the second book we’ve handled signed by her. Barbara Walters (1929-2022) was a pioneering American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality known for her work in television news. She began her career in the early 1960s as a writer and researcher for NBC’s Today show, where she eventually became the first female co-host of a U.S. news program in 1974. Walters later moved to ABC, where she co-anchored the ABC Evening News, becoming the first female co-anchor of a network evening news broadcast. She gained widespread recognition for her in-depth interviews with world leaders, celebrities, and public figures on shows like 20/20 and The Barbara Walters Specials. In 1997, she co-created the daytime talk show The View, where she served as a co-host until her retirement from television in 2014.
