Beschreibung:

KENNEDY, JOHN F., President . Carbon typescript of the first ten chapters of Profiles in Courage , n.p., n.d. [1955]. 176 pages, 4to, on rectos only, lacking pages 1 and 2, in brown binder with typed label on upper cover: "Courage in the Senate" (probably a working title) . [ With :] Manuscript outline of Chapter 1 "Courage and Politics," 3 pages, comprising approximately 90 words in ink, on versos of House of Representative stationery, interspersed with photocopies of an early typescript, some cut down by Kennedy and stapled to his outline pages, together in a navy quarter morocco chemise, gilt-lettered . COURAGE IN THE SENATE During a long convalescence from spinal surgery Senator Kennedy began a collective biography of principled politicians distinguished for taking unpopular stands. The work's working title was Courage in the Senate , but it was published as Profiles in Courage . The book rapidly became a best-seller and Kennedy was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. These sheets comprise the first ten of eleven chapters, without Chapter 11, an epilogue of sorts entitled "The Meaning of Courage," probably added as an afterthought. The loose notes for the beginning, written in outline form, direct the editor to insert various quotations into the text. Kennedy explores the careers of nine Senators, including John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Sam Houston and Andrew Johnson, who demonstrated strong political convictions in the face of daunting opposition. In the preface to the published book, Kennedy stated that he had been "interested in the problems of political courage in the face of constituent pressures" throughout his career, and, Robert Kennedy, in a later preface, noted that the President attempted to model his own career after these men (Kennedy, Profiles in Courage , New York: Harper & Row, 1956, ix, xv). The carbon sheets probably represent a late draft of the book, which the author dedicated to his wife, Jacqueline.