Forty-Minute Plays from Shakespeare, Childhood Copy of Jackie Kennedy

Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (1929–1994) stands as one of the most iconic, influential, and culturally literate First Ladies in American history. Raised in an affluent but emotionally complex environment between Manhattan and East Hampton, she developed a fierce, lifelong discipline alongside a passionate devotion to horseback riding, history, ballet, and classic literature. Upon entering the White House in 1961 as the wife of the 35th President, John F. Kennedy, she completely redefined her role from a purely ceremonial figurehead into a dynamic force for historic preservation, global diplomacy, and the arts. Jackie famously spearheaded the comprehensive historical restoration of the White House and hosted elite cultural events that elevated America's standing during the height of the Cold War. Her enduring legacy rests on her absolute poise under the trauma of her husband's public assassination, her razor-sharp editorial intellect as a high-end book editor later in life, and her timeless status as a universal symbol of grace, strength, and sophisticated maternal dedication. 

This specific volume, Forty-Minute Plays from Shakespeare—compiled by Fred G. Barker and published by The Macmillan Company—serves as an extraordinary, deeply personal artifact from Jackie Kennedy’s childhood. Originally designed as a vintage schoolbook for the "Modern Readers Series" in the 1920s and 1930s, this text features twelve shortened, highly accessible adaptations from eleven of Shakespeare's primary plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, and The Tempest. The abridgments intentionally streamlined difficult Elizabethan vocabulary to make the dramatic texts manageable for classroom readings, recitations, and student theatrical staging.

Pages 133 - 140 from The Taming of the Shrew has the top corners neatly torn out, presumably by Jackie and presumably as a form of a bookmark. She has also made some pencil marks in the margins, so it seems that this play was one that she studied closely. On the rear free endpaper, the young Jacqueline has written out her school grades by subject. She was a good student with a GPA of 89. There’s also a little pencil drawing of a dog. This is a very touching little book from which Jackie would’ve had learned her Shakespeare. It was sold at Sotheby’s estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis sale in April 1996 where I brought $11,500.

Green canvas binding with black lettering to cover and spine. Pencil inscription to front endpaper and pastedown of the Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. A few pictures in black and white throughout and markings from the owner noted in the previous paragraph. Very good condition and a lovely token of Jackie Kennedy’s childhood.