Description
First edition of Out of These Roots: The Autobiography Of An American Woman, signed by former political rivals, Agnes E. Meyer and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Octavo, x, 385pp. Green cloth, title stamped in gilt on spine. Stated “first edition” on copyright page. Top edge dyed yellow. Light shelf wear to boards, internally clean. In the publisher’s dust jacket, $4.00 on front flap, chipping along top edge of spine, short closed tear, a bright example.
Signed on the front free endpaper by Agnes E. Meyer and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Agnes E. Meyer was an ardent critic of New Deal policies, believing that “destructive overcentralization of government in Washington” was hurting local communities. She defended her position on a radio program hosted by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1935, describing Mrs. Roosevelt as her “political enemy” in this book, but she respected her for their common interest in “public education” and her nonpartisan generosity.
By the 1950’s, the two were friends. In Eleanor Roosevelt’s “My Day” article from January 9, 1957, she said of Mrs. Meyer: “It is interesting that, as you grow older, sometimes you have the good fortune to outgrow some of the misunderstandings of your youth and to learn the real values of people. Mrs. Meyer and I started off not only on opposite sides of the political fence but we thought our philosophies of life were completely different. It took us a good many years to learn about each other, but gradually we acquired respect and then a real and deep affection, and friendship grew between us. We were working for the same things. Our objectives were the same and I am now proud that I can call Agnes Meyer one of my real friends.”
Agnes E. Meyer is the mother of Katherine Graham, who led the Washington Post through the Watergate Scandal and to an eventual Pulitzer Prize for their coverage.
