The Death of a President - by William Manchester (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row, 1967.

Book Synopsis

William Manchester's epic and definitive account of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

As the world still reeled from the tragic and historic events of November 22, 1963, William Manchester set out, at the request of the Kennedy family, to create a detailed, authoritative record of the days immediately preceding and following President John F. Kennedy's death.

Through hundreds of interviews, abundant travel and firsthand observation, and with unique access to the proceedings of the Warren Commission, Manchester conducted an exhaustive historical investigation, accumulating forty-five volumes of documents, exhibits, and transcribed tapes. His ultimate objective -- to set down as a whole the national and personal tragedy that was JFK's assassination -- is brilliantly achieved in this galvanizing narrative, a book universally acclaimed as a landmark work of modern history.

Review Quotes

"About the book's importance as a historical document, a compelling account, an invaluable compilation of source material on one of the century's central events, there is no question."--Eliot Fremont-Smith, New York Times

"An authoritative, powerful account of the Dallas tragedy." --Time

"It seems not at all inconceivable that we have here an American contribution to the great literature on the death of kings."--Richard Rovere, The New Yorker

About the Author

William Manchester was a hugely successful popular historian and biographer whose books include The Last Lion, Volumes 1 and 2, Goodbye Darkness, A World Lit Only by Fire, The Glory and the Dream, The Arms of Krupp, American Caesar, The Death of the President, and assorted works of journalism.