BOOK REVIEW -- "The Memories -- JFK -- 1961-1963"
David Von Pein
"THE MEMORIES -- JFK -- 1961-1963"
(By Cecil Stoughton, Chester V. Clifton, and Hugh Sidey)
(Published 1973)
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"CAMELOT" IN PICTURES --- LOTS OF THEM......
A FABULOUS KENNEDY BOOK......
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393086828
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If you're looking for some splendid (and rare) photographs of President
John F. Kennedy and family, then this richly-detailed book should
certainly be given due consideration.
"The Memories -- JFK -- 1961-1963" is a 200-page hardcover volume that
is loaded with top-quality images of JFK, the First Lady (Jacqueline
Kennedy), and the two young Kennedy children (John Jr. and Caroline).
Every picture in this publication (save one) was taken by official
White House photographer Cecil Stoughton, who snapped hundreds (if not
thousands) of shots of the good-looking First Family during the
"Camelot" years, which spanned precisely 1,037 days, beginning with
President Kennedy's memorable inauguration on the snowy Washington
afternoon of January 20, 1961....and ending tragically at just about
the same time of day (noontime) nearly three years later, on November
22, 1963, when JFK was shot and killed in an assassination attempt
while riding in a motorcade through the crowded city streets of Dallas,
Texas.
But those 1,037 days of JFK's truncated Presidential term still
provided Mr. Stoughton many opportunities to keep his camera's shutter
busy. And a great number of those pics are presented in this volume
(some in color).
I mentioned that just one photo in the book was not taken by Mr.
Stoughton -- that one being a shot of Stoughton himself, snapped by
2-year-old John Kennedy Jr. (pretty good pic, too, by the amateur
Kennedy photog).
In addition to Mr. Stoughton's superb camera work and heartfelt
captions and recollections of being in the Kennedy "inner circle", this
book also contains the remembrances of President Kennedy's military
aide, Major General Chester V. Clifton. The book is narrated by
"Time-Life" correspondent Hugh Sidey, who was a close friend of the
Kennedys.
Among the many photos enriching these pages are some very
rarely-published images of the "family living quarters" on the second
floor of the White House. There's also a charming two-page photo spread
showing Jackie (and offspring) riding in a small horse-drawn sleigh on
the White House lawn. That exquisite photo would make an ideal
Christmas postcard, especially if a color version of the photo exists,
which I am unsure of. It's printed in black-and-white here.
The cover photo used for the hardback edition of this title -- showing
a very relaxed-looking President Kennedy, wife Jackie, and their two
children -- I have heard was one of Jacqueline Kennedy's favorite
pictures ever taken of the First Family by Mr. Stoughton. (It's one of
my personal favorites, too.) That's a cropped version of that photo on
the cover; but the book also includes a full-sized (and full-page)
version, also in color, which occupies all of Page #190.
In 1980, a paperback re-issue edition was released, with a different
cover image. The softcover version depicts JFK and brother Robert
Kennedy on the front cover. Here's the paperback edition......
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0393009858
The hardcover edition's first printing was in 1973, coinciding with the
tenth anniversary date of JFK's assassination. This large book,
published by W.W. Norton & Co. of New York, has a "coffee table"
quality to it, with high quality paper stock used for its 200 pages.
I've owned this book for many years now, and hadn't re-visited its
contents for quite some time until just recently. Upon re-examining
these pages, the obvious devotion and fondness that Mr. Stoughton, Mr.
Clifton, and Mr. Sidey had for John Kennedy and the First Family during
those magical days in the early 1960s becomes readily apparent via the
stellar photographs and sincere text and captions that adorn each page.
I found myself enjoying this material just as much as I had years ago.
It was like seeing it for the very first time.
This is a very "personal" book about the Kennedys. There are no
"conspiracy theories" espoused here, and no talk of JFK's political
enemies. Instead, what we get are the firsthand reflections of three of
Jack Kennedy's friends, via a brief amount of text and lots and lots of
captivating photographic images.
The grace, elegance, sophistication, style, and humor of the Kennedy
White House years are vividly realized and illustrated in this sleek
and well-done publication.
David Von Pein
January 2005