[Rarebooks] FS: Gwendolyn Brooks Inscribed to John F. Kennedy

[charles agvent]

One of many outstanding books in the field of African-American 
Literature & History just listed in our New Arrivals for February, 
along with 111 other mostly interesting items.  We also have a large 
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BROOKS, GWENDOLYN. THE BEAN EATERS. New York: Harper & Row (1960). 
First Edition. Superbly INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the author, the first 
African American to win a Pulitzer Prize, to Senator John F. Kennedy 
and dated October 1960 (Kennedy was elected President on 8 November 
1960.): "In your second debate,/I was intrigued by what you/had to say 
about beans!/Perfectly true.I've featured/them myself. In tribute 
to/your 'bean truths' I want/to offer you this book./Best wishes to/a 
great man./Sincerely,/Gwendolyn Brooks." The bean reference is to 
Kennedy's remarks in his second debate (7 October 1960) with Nixon who 
claimed that Kennedy was wrong in suggesting "--and I am glad he has 
corrected this to an extent--that 17 million people go to bed hungry 
every night in the United States." Kennedy responded by citing 
testimony on the food stamp plan that "said there were 25 million 
Americans who could not afford a [sic] elementary, low-cost diet, and 
he [Mr. Benson] defined that as someone who uses beans in place of 
meat.... You can't tell me anyone who uses beans instead of meat in 
the United States, and there are 25 million of them according to Mr. 
Benson, is well fed or adequately fed." It was Kennedy's performance 
in the four nationally televised debates that helped to give him an 
edge over Nixon, along with an enhanced standing among African 
Americans when he came to the aid of Martin Luther King, Jr. after his 
arrest in Atlanta prompting King's father, who was going to vote for 
Nixon, to state, "Jack Kennedy has the moral courage to stand up for 
what he knows is right." Kennedy won the popular vote by 0.2%. 
Beautiful copy in dustwrapper with magnificent inscription.  $2000

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