Kennedy in deal for his memoirs

The memoirs of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the youngest and last surviving brother of the country’s most famous political siblings and for decades an eminent liberal statesman and legislator, have been acquired by an imprint of the Hachette Book Group USA.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but a publishing official with knowledge of the negotiations said the agreement was comparable to the $8 million that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton received for “Living History” and the $9 million that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will reportedly get for his planned memoir.

Hachette’s acquisition came after a six-day auction involving nine publishers. The book is tentatively scheduled to come out in 2010.

Kennedy has been the subject of countless works and cooperated with one author, Adam Clymer, for a biography that came out in 1999.