Description
Mandela: The Authorized Biography by Anthony Sampson, inscribed by Nelson Mandela to journalist Katie Couric.
Octavo, xxvi, 672pp, [2]. Illustrated softcover. Stated “First Vintage Books Edition” on the copyright page, with a full number line. This copy appears unread. Housed in a custom white cloth clamshell, title stamped in gilt over a black morocco label.
Inscribed on the half-title: “To Katie Couric / Best Wishes / Nelson Mandela / 8.5.2002.”
Mandela: The Authorized Biography by Anthony Sampson was first published by HarperCollins in South Africa in 1999. It followed Mandela’s autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, with a more candid look at South African politics and Mandela’s personal life.
Katie Couric (b. 1957) is an American journalist and television anchor who rose to prominence on NBC’s Today (1991-2006) and later became the first solo female anchor of the CBS Evening News (2006-2011).
(Provenance: A donation to the New York Public Library, purchased November 2025)
