Portrait of a President Author:William Manchester First published in the fall of 1962. In many ways it was President Kennedy's favorite book about himself; and it was the President's known admiration for the book and its author which persuaded his family to invite the author to write an account of the circumstances surrounding President Kennedy's assassination, now published under the title Th... more »e Death of a President. This book is based on private meetings with the President and some 40 interviews with members of his family, friends and those who knew him in the past.« less