The Memoirs of Harry S. Truman

A Reader's Edition

Edited by Raymond H. Geselbracht

Narrated by Ellery Truesdell

Available from Audible

Book published by University of Missouri Press

This new “Reader’s Edition” of Harry Truman’s memoirs removes the overload of detail and reproduced historical documents, reduces the bloated cast of characters, clarifies the often confusing balance between chronological and thematic presentation, and corrects some important problems of presentation that made the two volumes of Truman’s memoirs, published in 1955 and 1956, difficult to read and enjoy. This new edition, reduced to half the length of the original text, offers a new generation of readers the thrill of hearing the unique and authentic voice of Harry S. Truman, probably the most important president of the last seventy-five years, telling the story of his life, his presidency, and some of the most important years in American history.

REVIEWS:

“Harry Truman's memoirs are a vital historical document, but no joy to read - until now. Raymond Geselbracht has done wonders, through meticulous editing and wise, unobtrusive annotating, transforming an overly long, poorly organized text into a cohesive, enlightening, and thoroughly enjoyable work of autobiographical and political literature.”

—Benn Steil, Historian in Residence, Council on Foreign Relations, author of The Marshall Plan: Dawn of the Cold War

“Harry Truman left the White House with one of the lowest public approval ratings in modern history. Shortly thereafter he published his memoirs, which greatly influenced how the public came to view his presidency in the 1950s and 1960s. He originally published his memoirs in a two-volume set that most readers found all but inaccessible. In this new, edited, one-volume Reader’s Edition of Truman's memoirs, Ray Geselbracht not only provides a fascinating history of the writing of the memoirs and how they shaped public opinion, but he presents the most compelling sections of each volume, gracefully combining them into one powerful narrative.”

—Jon E. Taylor, University of Central Missouri, author of Harry Truman's Independence: The Center of the World