PORTRAIT OF A PRESIDENT

The election of John F. Kennedy to the Presidency has inspired a spate of biographies. Many have been written in haste to meet a deadline. Others bear the decided marks of journalism. Mr. Manchester's book differs from the others to the extent that he focuses all his attention on the President as a man. He recounts for the reader the President's wartime experiences, his academic training, his campaign and the changes a year in office have wrought. But there is not much to say about the book. No one can expect expert insight at this date. Any lucid analysis of the President and of his achievements must await a later time. However, the book is well written. And as it is the portrait of a man in whom the public is vitally Interested, it should find a receptive audience.