Email
PrintBathtub Reading: History, In Their Own Words
Listening in on other people’s conversations, reading their private letters — it sounds vaguely criminal. But, be honest, who doesn’t love it? These three books allow you to indulge in that guilty pleasure and learn an insider’s view of history at the same time.
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy
Caroline Kennedy and Michael Beschloss
Hyperion, 2011
After JFK was assassinated, his famously private wife always refused to discuss her years in the White House. Except — unknown to most Americans — once. Four months after JFK died, Jackie sat down with historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and recorded an astonishingly detailed account of her experiences and impressions as the wife and confidante of the president of the United States. The tapes of those sessions were then sealed in accordance with Jackie’s wishes. Now, for the first time, JFK and Jackie’s daughter Caroline is releasing these conversations to the world, in an illustrated book and 8-CD set, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of JFK’s inauguration. The result is an eyewitness account of history, including Jackie’s personal opinions and recollections of politics, life in Washington, the social scene, what JFK thought of people like Lyndon Johnson, his own brothers, and others. This is must-have for any lover of Camelot.
The Letters of Ernest Hemingway, Volume 1 (1907-1922)
Sandra Spanier, editor
Cambridge University Press, 2011
If anyone is wondering what to get the editor of an urbane and fabulous city magazine for Christmas, look no further. I haven’t yet read this whole book, but I’ve read excerpts, and I’ve learned that these letters, written by one of the greatest novelists in American history, provide a fascinating backdrop to his work, showing what was going on in his life and in his thoughts before he wrote The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and The Sea, A Moveable Feast, et al. This first volume of letters encompasses his youth, his experiences in World War I and his arrival in Paris (my favorite time in history) where he pals around with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein among others. The letters reveal a more complex person than Hemingway’s tough guy public persona would suggest: devoted son, affectionate brother, infatuated lover, adoring husband, spirited friend and disciplined writer. Truly a special gift for anyone who loves Hemingway.
Reagan: A Life in Letters
Kiron Skinner
Free Press, 2004
No matter your politics, this collection of 1,000 letters by Ronald Reagan written from 1922 to 1994 is an engrossing look inside the life of this actor-turned-politician. There’s a reason why he was called “The Great Communicator” — the guy could write, and he comes off as charming, gracious and funny. These highly-entertaining letters — in our age of texting, Twittering and email, we don’t do this sort of writing anymore and it pains me — tell the story of his life in Hollywood and in politics, of his family and even his health. Many of the letters are addressed to world leaders, well-known American politicians, celebs and journalists, people like Ella Fitzgerald, George Bush, Sr., Dr. Spock, and Margaret Thatcher, which makes them even more fun to read.
.png){kind=small}
