If You Ask Me.
Roosevelt, Eleanor. If You Ask Me. New York & London: D. Appleton-Century Company, Inc., (1946).
8vo.; black cloth, lightly rubbed on front, water-stained on rear; photographic dust-jacket worn at edges and water-stained on rear.
Together with:
Roosevelt, Eleanor. If You Ask Me. New York: D. Appleton-Century, (1946).
8vo.; spine slightly cocked; black cloth, stamped in gilt, gilt rubbed on spine and front panel.
Two first editions, both presentation copies. The first is inscribed to her daughter Anna and her husband John Boettiger: For Anna & John with love from Mother (L.L.) March 30, 1946. Also signed in full “Eleanor Roosevelt” on the title page. The “L.L.” in parentheses stands for “Lovely Lady,” an affectionate family name for Eleanor that we have not seen in any of her other inscriptions or in any of her correspondence. The second is inscribed to the son of Eleanor’s son Elliott: To David from Grandma Eleanor Roosevelt.
If You Ask Me is a collection of thoughtful advice offered in response to questions from notable women and men such as Margaret Sanger, Dr. Morris Fishbein, Betty Smith, Bette Davis, and Mrs. Chiang Kai Shek. Questions from the general populace include:
Do you think people of different religions should marry if parents object?
I think this is a personal question and only the two people concerned can decide.
What is your opinion of girls smoking and drinking at public bars with men?
If girls behave themselves and men behave themselves I see no reason why they should not go to any place which is decent. Places that are not decent should be closed and neither men nor women should go to them.
How do you feel about Jewish people taking Gentile names?
This is done, I imagine, only when Christian people have them feel that there is such a prejudice against them that they will find it easier to face the world without a foreign name. It makes me very sad to think that Christian people could be so unkind. If the name is changed purely to make it easier to pronounce or to spell, and not under any compulsion, then I have no feeling about it.
The only annotation by Anna in her copy of this book is a single marginal tick at the question “Are you ever lonely?” to which Eleanor responded, “I can never remember being lonely, but if I feel depressed I go to work...” (p. 54).
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