2002 NY:Simon & Schuster First edition, first printing, mint, new/unread in a flawless dustjacket, signed by the author. "Mary Higgins Clark's interest in George Washington was first sparked by a radio series she was writing in the 1960s, called "Portrait of a Patriot," vignettes of American presidents." "Always a lover of history, she wrote this biographical novel - her first book - and titled it Aspire to the Heavens, which was the family motto of George Washington's mother. With all events, dates, scenes and characters based on historical research, the book was published in 1969." Its recent discovery by a Washington family descendent led to its reissue under its new title, Mount Vernon Love Story.