As an ardent admirer of Mrs. Kennedy for the past 40 years, I have read every book on her that I could get my hands on. "Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a refreshing change from the repetitive narratives and recycled photos that are the mainstay of so many other books about her life. Ms. Duheme's illustrations are elegant and sumptuous but also embrace a childlike purity and simplicity which capture the essence of Mrs. Kennedy's persona and mystique. The commentary has the simple charm of a beautifully written children's book. It is obvious why Mrs. Kennedy chose Ms. Duheme to accompany her on her more memorable trips abroad as First Lady. A truly enchanting book.

Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad is an adorable little book filled with colorful Fauvist-like illustrations. Anyone who likes Laura Stoddart's simple-chic illustrations for Kate Spade will probably enjoy this book. Fans of the recent exhibition at the Met that highlighted Jackie's White House clothes may appreciate it too. The commentary is kept to a minimum and black and white photos from Mrs. Kennedy's travels are included, but the focus is on French artist Duheme's amusing miniature paintings that capture Jackie in all those great pink sleeveless dresses and crisp suits in Paris, India, London and Italy.

As a side note: Duheme and Jacqueline Kennedy became friends who shared similar painting styles, and Duheme was invited to Cape Cod to give the First Lady an art lesson.

"Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad" is a beautiful book. The illustrations are lovely to look at, and the book is fun to read. A good choice for anyone to add to their library; especially recommended for those interested in the Kennedys and Jackie in particular. Evokes the fun mood of Jackie's scrapbook written with her sister Lee, "One Special Summer".

JFK, a magical name in history. This book provides a way to investigate this man's life from other people's letters. You may want to read it.

This is a compilation that in and of itself is quite mundane. The letters are not the most eloquent nor powerful prose that you are likely to have read. However, this is the correspondence of two of the biggest figures of their age.

The letters regarding the Vietnam war are the most interesting and provide some recognition of the clarity & forsight of Galbraith's mind.

Buy this book if you are interested in these men and the age of Camelot.

Here's a book that deserves to be back in print. Galbaith might not be much of an economist but he's a wonderful writer, and his perspective on people and events of the early Sixties should retain its historical interest as that era falls further astern

The book The Great Crash: 1929, by John Galbraith, is a cynical look at the stock market crash of 1929. In his book he tries to convince the reader of the stupidity of the American people for not realizing the eventual collapse of the stock market. The book for what it is worth is factual and the only point is to explain the crash and the stupidity of the people involved. He writes with a style that is cynical, yet all knowing. He makes it very obvious why the crash occurred but when it comes to explaining how it could have been avoided he gets rather shady. All in all, this book is just a factual account of the tragedy of the stock market crash of 1929.
Galbraith starts his book off with the people, and their mindsets, involved in the pre-crash years. In the beginning it seems that people would have known about the stock market crash eventually to occur, but if they did they did not care. People in the years from 1925 to 1929 played the stock market without really even paying for it. In those years you could go to a broker and purchase stock on margin, which means that instead of buying your stocks with the money you have, you put down 10% and make monthly payments. Since everyone was doing it the stock rose and was became worth more in days or even hours so you ended up not even paying for it. The average person would think at this point that people knew that this would not last forever, but they didn't care because they were making money at the time. The question is why did the government not do anything to stop this. Well before the crash Coolidge was in office and he did not care what happened. In 1929 Hoover was inaugurated and he and the F.R.B started having meetings every day about the condition of the stock market.
The first of many smaller crashes and recoveries starting occurring on Monday, March 25, 1929, in the following six months it was the most unreliable, jumpy market ever. Oddly enough though, the summer held much optimism for the market. The crash itself began on Thursday, October 24, 1929. Even at telegraphic speed, the volume of stocks exchanged was having an effect on time. Crowds started to gather outside of the NYSE trying to figure out what was going on and police had to be called to maintain control. On Friday, the market recovered. On Monday, October 28, 1929 over 9,250,000 shares trade but there was not much of a recovery and this lead to Black Tuesday.
Black Tuesday was the result of the stock market boom in the past 5 years. There were to be 16,410,030 shares traded on that day, everyone was trying to get out. In order to get out you had to get sell at market value. People were dumping their securities and causing even more downward pressure on the market. There was no recovery, the market had crashed and it would take a lot of time and effort to rebuild it. Finally there was the aftermath. People who were rich suddenly became poor in the span of a day. The suicide rate for the next few years rose. The entire world was affected by this crash and it eventually led into the great depression.
The author of this book presented a point, the point that people should have done something to prevent the crash of the stock market, and it was easy for him to succeed in proving this point, for what is there to prove. This book, which gives a account of the crash of the stock market in 1929 is accurate in all accounts and has no falsities in it as far as can be seen. The information is documented and there are many primary and secondary sources used in the writing of this book. This book is easily understood and is a great tool to explain the stock market crash.

Somebody on comp.software.year-2000 urged me to read this Galbraith volume because, he noted, "the parallels with current economic conditions -- with an out-of-control, logic-defying stock market, and happy-face government posturing in face of obvious disaster -- make it a must read." Fine. I bought this book 2 weeks ago on amazon (I'm a regular) and just finished.

True, the parallels are there. And I highly recommend the work if nothing more than to highlight in the reader's mind the elements of human nature that insure that we will always have depressions -- every 70 years or so ... secula seculorum... but in a small way, I expected more.

I find Galbraith (author of some 20 works on economics) to lack an emotional, visceral style that should have enunciated a polished telling of this critical set of events - (I say "set" because although October 24, 1929, or "Black Thursday" may have set events in motion... the bottom did not come until July, 1932). To borrow from Trekkies, if I may, I felt like I was following a history lesson from a Vulcan history professor. The chronology was well placed and organized, but there was nothing to help me "feel" the event.

Nonetheless, I appreciated the referral and the read. And I think that this work will have even more renewed interest when the world investment community eventually comes to grips with the lack of rationale in supporting stock values whose P/E ratios stretch well into infinity.

Greg Caton Lumen Foods (soybean.com) caton@soybean.com March 14, 1999

I'm a junior in high school doing a research paper on the stock market crash of 1929. Without reading this book I would be left in the dark. Reading 6 other books, Galbraith is the only author who writes in a language that is easily understandable to someone who does not know how to calculate a beta ranking for a stock.

My daughter gave me this book as a gift, I guess, because I'm an economist. I wish she hadn't. Others obviously think Galbraith's musings more than a little entertaining; I don't. He came across to me as asserting that the only people worth knowing were the ones he once served/worked with. I would rate some his ancedotes as amusing, but the flavor of the book seemed to be that of a very old man, whose core beliefs have been repudiated by history, claiming that the idea of a command economy just didn't get a fair shake. All these socialist countries just haven't done it right, and they just don't make 'em like they used to.

John Kenneth Galbraith was at one time a hero of mine. Read more than 10 of his books over the years. Bought this book and read it having been a hero of mine. I urge for all people to read to this book for the sole reason to show how out of touch, "ivory tower" tenured intellectuals has misguided us.

The 20th is ending and the era of "ivory tower egghead" is coming ot a close. The preeminent egghead is Professor Galbraith and this books is a clarion call of a out of touch egghead socialist. Buy it for records.

As a former student of economics and history, only when one leaves the university does one realize none of these people have ever had a "real" job so much as working McDonald. Tenure has given them lifelong employment-what in China is called the "iron rice bowl".

Professor Galbraith has written over 30 books. However, has this man ever open a business, work at a private company, try to make a product or services that the people want and need.

Academica and Government are havens for those who want job security, lifetime employment and insulation from the marketplace and the "customer".

Professor is the ultimate egghead socialist and dreams up fantasies where everyone lives "fulfiling life" with jobs, health care, and education. The Soviet Union and China failed miserably building stagnant socialist economies and the whole world is moving from a planned economy to a market economy. This books by Professor Galbraith is a testament to "ivory tower egghead" who refuse to confront reality. Never mind the "egghead" refuses to get a real job where they have to actually work for a living.

I recommend all to buy this book. Agree or Disagree. This book is a final testament of the greatest "egghead" of them all and how the world is moving to markets and totally bypasses them and yet they continue to champion socialism and collectivism: ideas that are going the way of the dinosour.

Name Dropping is a great high-level recap of Galbreath's insider experience as an influential 20th century statesmen. Like a grandfather recounting the salient parts of our recent American history and his career, its everything that you would not expect from an agricultural economist -- entertaining, witty, and easy to read. Highly recommended for train rides, short flights, or rainy days.