The German High Command at War by Robert B. Asprey (1991 First Edition, Author-Inscribed Association Copy to Col. Richard W. Bergson, with Two Signed Letters & Original Correspondence)

A remarkable association copy with extensive original provenance of Robert B. Asprey’s The German High Command at War: Hindenburg and Ludendorff Conduct World War I, published by William Morrow in 1991. The copyright page states First Edition with a complete number line beginning with 1, confirming this as a first printing. The book is a substantial 558-page study of Paul von Hindenburg, Erich Ludendorff, and the German military command during World War I, illustrated with numerous maps and historical photographs. Asprey examines Germany’s war from the perspective of its senior command and the extraordinary concentration of military and political power that developed under Hindenburg and Ludendorff.

What makes this copy exceptional is its direct association with Colonel Richard W. Bergson, U.S. Army (Ret.). The book is personally inscribed and signed by Robert B. Asprey to Bergson on the half-title/title page, with Asprey adding the place and date of the inscription in October 1993. An additional Asprey business card is mounted inside the book and is separately inscribed to Colonel Bergson with warm personal regards.

Accompanying the book are two original typed letters signed by Robert B. Asprey, both addressed directly to Colonel Bergson, along with their original mailed envelopes. The correspondence demonstrates that this was not simply a copy signed at a public event: Asprey and Bergson were personally corresponding. The letters discuss Asprey’s writing, books, inscriptions, publishing plans, and other matters, giving the group substantially greater historical and archival interest than a conventional signed first edition. Together, the signed book, separately inscribed card, two signed letters, and envelopes form a coherent author-recipient archive that has apparently remained together since the early 1990s.

The recipient is also significant. Richard Weber Bergson (1935–2021) served 30 years as a commissioned U.S. Army officer, retiring as a colonel in 1987. His assignments included command at platoon through brigade level, service with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea and the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, duty with the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon, and command of the Military Ocean Terminal Bay Area. His decorations included the Defense Superior Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, and two Bronze Star Medals. He was a graduate of the Army Command and General Staff College and the Naval War College.

The provenance is strengthened further by evidence that Bergson maintained a serious collection of historically important military books and correspondence. Other books from his library—including volumes personally inscribed to him by Albert Speer and accompanied by correspondence—have entered the rare-book auction market identified specifically as coming from Colonel Richard W. Bergson. This makes the Bergson association here both independently verifiable and particularly appropriate for Asprey’s study of senior military leadership.

The book itself appears Near Fine, clean, square and tightly bound with very little evidence of use. The original dust jacket is also exceptionally well preserved, showing only minor shelf and edge wear visible in the photographs. The correspondence and envelopes show ordinary handling and mailing folds consistent with their purpose and age. Everything should remain together as a single provenance group; separating the letters from the book would substantially diminish its historical interest.