Description
Limited edition of The Real War, signed and inscribed by President Richard Nixon to the previous owners of his Saddle River, New Jersey estate.
Octavo, 341pp. Red leather, gilt title on spine, gilt decoration on covers. Gilt leaf ends, Silk endpapers and sewn-in silk bookmark. Contains original “Certificate of Authenticity” from Warner Books/Grosset & Dunlap. From a limited edition of 2500 copies, this is number 23, signed by President Nixon. Includes additional inscription on the half-title: “To John + Diane Alford, With best wishes from Richard Nixon. 8-6-81.”
After his resignation in 1974, President Nixon returned to his native California and his beachfront estate, called La Casa Pacifica. By 1979, with the publication of his memoirs and his gradual return to public life, Nixon desired to return to the East Coast. He began by purchasing a 12-room condominium on 5th Avenue in New York City but soon realized that he wanted a place with solitude, which led him to Saddle River, New Jersey. The owners of the estate in Saddle River were John and Diane Alford, the recipients of this book. Nixon surprised them when he arrived on June 5th, 1981 to view their property, making a purchase offer soon after. This book was inscribed to the Alfords just a few days after closing on the house. Nixon would write 10 books in retirement, many at this estate, earning him the nickname “the sage of Saddle River.” The Nixons would live in Saddle River until 1991, when the house was sold to a wealthy Japanese businessman.
