New York, New York, May 10, 2011 … NBC News and G.P. Putnam’s Sons announced today the release of a new Amplified eBook, BERLIN 1961: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth, by veteran journalist and author, Frederick Kempe. The eBook features rare video footage from one of the most crucial and dangerous crises of the Cold War: the US–Soviet confrontation in Berlin fifty years ago, as well as an original video introduction by NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw. Timed to coincide with the publication of the hardcover edition of BERLIN 1961, available in stores today, May 10th, and the 50th anniversary of that year’s events, the eBook puts John F. Kennedy’s inaugural year in office under the microscope.
The amplified eBook illuminates Kempe’s story using a number of interactive elements that transport users to 1961 Berlin, the beating heart of a divided Germany. It includes nearly 60 minutes of rare video footage culled from the NBC News archives, much of it not seen since it was first broadcast. The eBook also features a detailed timeline with links to corresponding video, and a “cast of characters” with biographies of eight chief players from the book and relevant links to the videos in which they appear. The Amplified eBook is available through iBooks, Kindle for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Nook Color.
“We are thrilled to contribute our rich archival video content to this project, helping to bring such an important time in world history to life,” said Cheryl Gould, Senior Vice President, NBC News. “This partnership with G.P. Putman’s Sons is a great example of how these important works, like that of Frederick Kempe, can go beyond just text to include video moments that bring readers back in time—allowing them to experience books in an entirely new way.”
"The Berlin crisis was one of the first major world events to unfold as a televised event,” said Ivan Held, President of G.P. Putnam’s Sons. “Thanks to NBC News’ incredible archives, readers of Frederick Kempe’s masterful history will have the unique opportunity to “re-witness” many of the moments that shaped that fractious era."
Frederick Kempe is the president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, one of America’s premiere international affairs think tanks, and before that was a reporter, editor and news executive for The Wall Street Journal for more than twenty-five years. He combines the analytical skills of the political scientist, the story-telling skills of a journalist, and the historian’s use of newly declassified U.S., Soviet, and German documents and interviews to revise conventional wisdom on one of the most dangerous and critical crises of the Cold War, and its principal actors. Kempe’s new take on history assesses President Kennedy’s handling of Berlin, acquiescing to the building of the Wall, and the Cuban Missile Crisis a year later. His narrative draws parallels to today’s turbulent times and to another Democratic president facing challenges that have great potential to have an impact on the shape of the world.
About G.P. Putnam’s Sons
For more than two decades, G.P. Putnam’s Sons has led the publishing industry with more hardcover fiction and nonfiction New York Times bestsellers than any other imprint in the publishing industry. Its impressive list of award-winning, bestselling authors is well-known around the world. With its rich history and unrivaled bestselling track record, G.P. Putnam’s Sons continues to be one of the most respected and prestigious imprints in the industry.
About NBC News
NBC News has been a leading source of global news and information for more than 75 years, first on radio, and today via broadcast and cable television, the Internet, radio and cell phones. Operating around the clock with bureaus in key cities in the U.S. and overseas, NBC News provides immediate coverage and in-depth reporting of major events to a worldwide audience.