"TOUCHSTONES OF AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE"

(BUSH, George H.W.) BUSH, George W. 41. A Portrait of My Father. New York: Crown, (2014). Octavo, original gilt-lettered navy cloth, original slipcase with mounted color photographic portrait. $550.

Deluxe first edition of President George W. Bush's "loving testimonial" to the life and legacy of his father, President George H.W. Bush, boldly signed by President George W. Bush beneath the color frontispiece portrait of father and son, with 26 pages of color and black-and-white illustrations including two color frontispiece portraits.

"George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, is the only commander in chief in modern times who has declined to write a memoir. Now George W. Bush, the 43rd president, strides into the void with a book of his own intended to give voice to his modest father's life and legacy" (Washington Post). In 41, George W. Bush offers a "loving testimonial" to his father in an engaging and intimate book that "takes readers through the familiar touchstones of an extraordinary life… [and] offers a sense of the toll a public life takes on a family, even one as accustomed to the spotlight as the Bushes… Getting the facts right, at least as he sees them, seems to be the reason for this book—-facts not just about his father but about himself. He has said he wanted to write 41 to encourage a historical reassessment of his father's presidency, and in the process seems to be seeking some of that for his own as well. The deep affection and respect for his father suffuses the narrative, but along the way, Bush dissects what he sees as mistakes and the lessons he drew for his own presidency" (New York Times). Original slipcase with color photographic portrait of President George H.W. Bush affixed to the front board.

A fine copy.