'Capturing Camelot' Launch Party Draws D.C. Notables; Kitty Kelley Book Goes Behind Lens Of JFK Presidency

WESLEY HEIGHTS -- Some 50 years after President John F. Kennedy first took office, his presidency and the subsequent gilded Camelot era that it ushered in still remains a much talked about fixture within the American cultural lexicon.

Internationally acclaimed author Kitty Kelley took the opportunity this month to provide her own first-hand take on the JFK years, with the pre-Thanksgiving release of her latest work titled Capturing Camelot: Stanley Tretick's Iconic Images of the Kennedys.

At its core a photo book, the 240-page tomb pairs the iconic imagery of Look photographer Stanley Tretick with insightful and heartwarming commentary by Kelley, who was one of his longtime friends. Capturing Camelot is therefore as much about the photographer as the photographs contained within, as it explores the relationship between Tretick and President Kennedy.

And dozens of Washington notables, Kennedy family friends, and members of the media jumped at the chance to talk with Kelley, as well as have their books signed, on Wednesday evening at a private launch celebration held at the home of former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle.

Hosted by Jill & Nathan Daschle, Keith Johnson, and Kimball Stroud, the occasion served as much as a close friends-and-family reunion as it did a book party, with guests lingering long past the stated 8:30p.m. end time to catch-up.

While most book release events consist of nothing more than a quick handshake/hug and a brief autograph, yesterday's gathering saw Kelley penning virtual essays in the books she was asked to sign (more than a hundred copies were sold on-site alone), with many in attendance having known the longtime D.C. resident for many years.

Spotted mingling about the first floor of the inviting Wesley Heights house was Lloyd & Ann Hand, Dr. Sharon Malone, Susan Koch, Kim Dorgan, Congressman John Dingell and Debbie Dingell, and Mark Ein, among many others.

Kelley, of course, is a well-know biographer/author whose last five books have all landed the number one spot on The New York Times bestseller list. She has written about everyone, sometimes controversially, from Elizabeth Taylor to Frank Sinatra to the British royal family to the Bush dynasty.