Description
First edition of A Soldier’s Story by General Omar Bradley, inscribed to Gen. Clark Ruffner.
Octavo, xix, [1], 618pp. Tan cloth, title printed in red and blue over cloth on spine. Illustrated endpapers with maps of the European theater. Light sunning to the spine, internally a near fine example. The second printing of A Soldier’s Story, lacking the “first edition” statement on copyright page. In the publisher’s first state dust jacket, $5.00 on front flap, chipping at head of spine, bright illustrations.
Inscribed on the title page: “Personal regards and best wishes to my very good friend and golfing pal, Gen. Clark Ruffner, Omar N. Bradley / To be less formal, Hi Nick, Brad.”
An excellent association copy.
Gen. Clark L. (Nick) Ruffner (1903-1982) graduated from the Virginia Military Academy in 1924. Ruffner served in World War II as Deputy Chief of Staff for the VII Corps from 1942-1943, where he contributed to the planning of the D-Day Campaign. In 1943, he was moved to the Pacific Theater, where he participated in the assault on Gilbert Islands and the invasion of Leyte in the Philippines. In the Korean War, he was Chief of Staff of the X Corps. His strategic expertise and diplomatic skills were instrumental in Korean armistice negotiations. Ruffner retired in 1962 as a four-star general after serving as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.
