George W. Bush Publishing Book of His Paintings

The next book from former President George W. Bush will be more about pictures than words, the AP reports. Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors will feature 66 paintings and a four-panel mural drawn by Bush of military veterans and those in active service, according to the Crown Publishing Group. The book is scheduled to come out Feb. 28, 2017, and will include an introduction by Bush and forewords by former first lady Laura Bush and Gen. Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The book will be released in two editions: a $35 hardcover and a $250 "deluxe" volume, cloth-bound and signed by Bush.

"This is a book about the men and women who have been tremendous national assets in the Armed Forces—and who continue to be vital to the future success of our country," Bush writes in the introduction. "The greatest honor of the presidency was looking them in the eye and saluting them as their Commander in Chief. And I intend to support and salute them for the rest of my life." Bush, who has become an avid painter since leaving the White House, is donating any net author proceeds to the George W. Bush Presidential Center and its Military Service Initiative, which helps post-Sept. 11 veterans and their families' transition to civilian life. (More George W. Bush stories.)