With condolences on the death of one of America's statesmen.

Memoir already a bestseller
August 29, 2009

IN DEATH Edward Kennedy will continue to make his mark on American politics with his anticipated memoir, which has stormed to the top of online bestseller charts before its release next month.

The 77-year-old senator kept a journal throughout his nearly 50 years in the public eye, and the resulting autobiography, True Compass, chronicles an extraordinary life, including insights from brother John F. Kennedy's 1960 White House campaign.

In the wake of his death on Tuesday from brain cancer, Kennedy's publisher, Twelve, moved up the book's release, promising it to be ''a revelation, an international event and a lasting contribution to American history''.

Kennedy ''worked valiantly to finish the book and made it the best it could be'', said Jonathan Karp, editorial director at Twelve, adding the work had been five years in the making.

This month True Compass was already at No.1 on Amazon.com's biography bestseller list.

AFP