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At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends (Military Classics Series)
by Dwight D. Eisenhower
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Tab Books (1988-10)
ISBN: 0830640037
EAN: 9780830640034
Dewy Decimal #: 973.9210924
Hardcover: 400 pages
SKU: T070937-7036
Condition: Collectable Very Goo
Comments: First Tab, First Printing. Very good overall condition. No writing, very tight binding. A name. No dust cover. Ships same day or next in a bubble mailer. Enjoy.
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Customer Reviews
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Great, easy, enjoyable!
Rating  (5)
Date: 2008-05-19
I felt compelled to read my wife many passages. This joins my list of favorites. I was suprised to find this book so interesting. This is a must read for anybody who wants to know the man. The book ends before Ike enters the presedential campaign.
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Abilene
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-12-15
0 out of 1 customers found this reveiw helpful
Summer vacation June 6, 2004, the day after President Reagan passed away. Rolling thru Abilene Kansas I made a quick diversion at the Eisenhower Museum which ended up taking up the entire day. Fascinating exhibits, first I went to the gift shop where the clerk recommended this autobiographical book. Born 10/14/90, he tells of early life in Abilene, West Point, WWI, the 1919 transcontinental convoy, refining the tank corps with Patton and how they defied death twice, Panama, Pershing, MacArthur, London, D-day, Berlin with many entertaining anecdotes. Next at the Visitors Center view the 25 minute film. Next tour the Eisenhower Family Home. Next go to the Museum, it takes about 1 or 2 hrs and the D-Day exhibit is unforgettable as you emerge from a Landing Craft ramp on to the Normandy Beach Panorama. Next proceed to the Library, there is an exhibit area on the 2nd flr. Next go to the Place of Meditation which is final resting place, 34th President, wife Mamie, and first-born son. On Feb 6, 1968 77 yr old Eisenhower hit a hole in one while playing at the Seven Lakes Country Club in Palm Springs. On the par 3 104 yd, 13th hole using a 9 iron. Of the presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower probably ranks as one of the best all-around athletes. At Abilene High School Dwight Eisenhower played center field and in his senior year the team lost only one game to the KU freshmen. On the football team Eisenhower played right end. At West Point the 5ft 11in, 180lbs Eisenhower was halfback / linebacker. Sports writers in the fall of 1912 referred to him as the "Kansas Cyclone." The most memorable game was with Carlisle led by Olympic hero and All-American Jim Thorpe. Eisenhower and teammate Charles Benedict succeeded in stopping a Thorpe-led drive by using a double-tackle on the legendary halfback. But a deft maneuver by Thorpe in a later play sent the two West Pointers crashing headlong into each other. They were temporarily stunned and removed from the game Carlisle won 27-6. In 1913 Ike injured his leg in football practice jumping off a horse and sat on the bench as Knute Rockne and Gus Dorais of Notre Dame used an innovation called the forward pass to surprise West Point. Recommended viewing: John Ford's The Long Gray Line with Harry Carey Jr. as Eisenhower; and The Longest Day. Rockne's crash site memorial in Bazaar, KS is 100 mi SE. Or head 30mi east to Fort Riley for the US Cavalry Museum where Buffalo Bill and Custer were stationed, I picked up 2 books "My Life on the Plains" and "Boots and Saddles".
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ENJOYED EVERY WORD OF THIS ONE
Rating (5)
Date: 2006-03-25
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
I must admit, I was surprised when I read this one (after putting it off a number of years). Eisenhower did indeed have a knack for story telling and this becomes quite apparent with the first read of the first page of this book. This work gives us an inside look into the mind of a truely great man. I, like a couple of other reviewers here, was quite delighted with the candor, and insightfulness of this President. Actually, I found the work to be quite refreshing in this area...it is so unlike many of the autobiographies of some of the more recent presidents. Anyway, this book is well written and extremely informative and very, very readable. I highly recommend it to any history buff and highly recommend it to anyone having even the slightest interest in this individual the times he lived in. Recommend you add this one to your libary as you will no doubt want to give it a reread.
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Entertaining Recollections
Rating (5)
Date: 2005-11-14
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
In "At Ease" Dwight D. Eisenhower entertains the reader with recollections of his life up to the end of his military career. Organized chronologically, he tells the tales of his Abilene years, his time in the Peacetime army, the ordeals of World War II and his postwar migration toward political life.
On the pages of this book we learn of Ike's ancestors, his immediate family, his youthful interests and his courtship of Mamie.
Ike brings us into a series of "what if" situations which could have changed history. What if he had been admitted to Annapolis, rather than West Point? What if his football injury had prevented his commissioning? What if he had been sent to France in World War I? Ike lets us into his hopes and frustrations.
An early intra-war adventure was his participation in a cross country truck convoy which introduced him to the breadth of his country and to the need for good roads which he would advance decades later with his promotion of the Interstate Highway System. During the intra-war years Ike served under Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Washington and in the Philippines. His disagreement with MacArthur's impressions of the Bonus Army and his disapproval of the Chief Of Staff's personal involvement with its rout provide insight into Ike's character evaluation as well as his own developing values which would guide his later public life. During this period his friendship with George S. Patton matured and their professional interest in tanks kept a technology alive.
Approaching World War II, Ike's timely return from the Philippines and his performance in war games in Louisiana positioned him for the call to leadership.
Assigned command of Operation Torch, the American invasion of North Africa, Ike's involvement among rival French factions marked his advance into a form of politics. At this high command level, Ike became more deeply involved in interaction with political leaders, particularly Winston Churchill. With the transfer to Europe, his involvement in the Great Crusade deepened.
With victory achieved, Ike became involved in occupation issues with the Soviets which lead to his increasing mistrust of them. He relates some insightful and some humorous incidents during his service as Chief of Staff. During his time as president of Columbia University, Ike tried his hand at education and civilian life.
This book is very well written in an easy to follow style. It is a collection of memories, not a full biography. Ike tried to avoid stories which he reported in "Crusade In Europe" (See my Amazon.com review). "At Ease" holds the reader's interest while providing insight into Eisenhower's life and character.
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Learn about Eisenhower the man
Rating (5)
Date: 2004-04-29
10 out of 10 customers found this reveiw helpful
Recently I went and toured the Eisenhower farm in Gettysburg Pennsylvania. It was a facinating tour (Given by Ike's personal physician and family friend) and when it was over I asked the gentleman what book I should read to learn more about Eisenhower. He recommended this one and a fine recommendation it was.One nice thing about Eisenhower is he had a gift for story telling and he puts that gift to good use here. You discover when reading his books that they have a very comfortable feel to them. No dry read here. Eisenhower had a real talent for writing (He didn't use a ghost writer but wrote his books completely on his own) and you come away with a better appreciation of the man's intelligence and strong wit. I was also surprised in the book at how much candor Ike shows. One half expects when reading a book like this you would get a lot of political stories or things to try and justify some of his political choices while President but that is not the case. It really is a book that the title says it is. Personal stories that Ike liked to tell his friends. The result is we get a nice look at the man. Not General or President Eisenhower but the man himself looking back at his life as a soldier, husband and father. One note on this book. WW II is only lightly covered in this. Eisenhower covers that subject in "Crusade in Europe" which I also recommend. If you're are interested in learning more about Ike and his life, this is a great place to start.
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