A MESSAGE FROM THE TWELVE PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT

The following is a message from Cary Goldstein, Twelve's Director of Publicity.

We are gratified by the intense interest in and enthusiastic reaction to True Compass by Senator Edward M. Kennedy. We also regret we are unable to make the book available to you immediately. We are eager to share this extraordinary autobiography with you. This is not yet possible because the book has not reached most booksellers, including major national accounts and independent stores. We know how frustrated readers can get when they can't find a book, and we also know how frustrated booksellers can get when they cannot meet demand (or when certain accounts have an unfair advantage by selling early). That's why we set a uniform national on-sale date of September 14, which is the earliest we can guarantee all readers and booksellers access to True Compass.

While we recognize the news value of the book, one of our objectives as a publisher is to facilitate a national conversation among readers. That conversation will be better and more informed when everyone has access to True Compass on September 14th, and we eagerly await that day. At that time, we will also post the first chapter at www.twelvebooks.com. In the interim, we appreciate your patience, your understanding, and the strict adherence among booksellers to our embargo.

-- Cary Goldstein, Director of Publicity