Wednesday, January 24, 2007

"Memories of the Ford Administration"

In his column at the Telegraph, Mark Sanderson writes:

Gerald Ford may not be around to enjoy the renewed interest in his presidency but several authors stand to benefit from his demise. While the 38th president's autobiography, A Time to Heal, published in 1979, is out of print – as are the three books written by his wife Betty – Holt has brought forward publication of Douglas Brinkley's biography of Ford to 6 February and increased the initial print run from 35,000 to 75,000 copies. In the meantime James Cannon's Time and Chance: Gerald Ford's Appointment with History, Graeme Mount's 895 Days That Changed the World: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford and Barry Werth's 31 Days: The Crisis That Gave Us the Government We Have Today – which focuses on the period between Richard Nixon's resignation and the time it took for Ford to pardon him – should all enjoy a spike in sales.

John Updike may also be a benefactor. His long-forgotten 1992 novel, Memories of the Ford Administration, should be more entertaining than any of the above. Second-hand copies can be had for as little as 33p on the internet.

I've read Memories of the Ford Administration. It's not my favorite Updike novel, and those interested in the actual Ford adminstration should look elsewhere, but I agree that it's probably more entertaining than the nonfiction.

--Marshal Zeringue