Designing Camelot; The Kennedy White House Restoration

New York, N.Y.: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1998. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. xi, [1], 260 pages. Oversized book, measuring 11 inches by 8-3/4 inches. Profusely illustrated (including color) Inscribed by both co-authors on the front free endpaper; Inscription reads: October 23, 1997, To Lida- Enjoy the tour! James A. Abbott and Elaine M. Rice. Includes Foreword, Acknowledgments, Epilogue, Appendix, Endnotes, Bibliography, and Index. Chapters include The Kennedy Style; Restoration: Idea and Organization; Maison Blanche; The State Dining Room; The East Room; The Red Room; The Green Room; The Blue Room; The Ground Floor; Halls; The Private Dining Rooms; The Yellow Oval Room; Guest Rooms; The Victorian Taste; The Private Rooms; The President's Office and Cabinet Room; and The Legacy. Includes Appendix, Endnotes, Bibliography, and Index. James A. Abbott has a rich background in both museum operations and curating. Abbott most recently served as the Philip Franklin Wagely Director and Curator of the Evergreen Museum and Library. Abbott has written several books, most notable is his collaborative work "Designing Camelot: The Kennedy White House Restoration." Ms. Rice had worked at DuPont Winterthur, which played an important role in shaping Mrs. Kennedy''s vision for the White House restoration. Ms. Rice later became an independent interior design professional. This important work offers what is essentially a major room by room tour of the restoration. This is the first book to document the restoration of the White House by Jacqueline Kennedy and her advisors--the most significant and extensive to date. Many of the country's governers' mansions were renovated as state First Ladies strove to emulate the efforts of a sophisticated Jacqueline Kennedy. Firsthand accounts and photographs chronicle the restoration of the White House during the Kennedy Administration. Designing Camelot recounts one of the most influential interior design projects in American history, the restoration of the White House during the Kennedy administration. Fueled by the intense fascination with the charismatic First Family, the project had a profound effect on the popular American imagination and taste in interior furnishings. Emphasizing the historic restoration of each room and the efforts to have these rooms reflect the personalities and tastes of Jack and Jackie, Designing Camelot features a wealth of first-person quotations, personal and public correspondence, media accounts, and photographs. Included are detailed room-by-room analyses of the restoration, anecdotes about the people involved, and insights into the choices made.