For providing information and insights into aspects of vice, I am indebted to and wish to thank Daniel Aherne; Eğlence Atasever-Arda, MD; Debra Bruno; Christopher Ehrman; Marian Fox; Daniel L. Goldberg; Tom Jabine; Nancy Lisagore; Prof. Marianne Noble; Roberta Redfern; Amy Ujiji Swift; and Debby Vivari.
Any viewpoint or image in this book does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and/or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), nor imply an endorsement by HHS and/or the CDC of any particular organization or product. If that sounds like I’m reciting something I was told to say, it’s because I am—but am happily doing so, as data and publications provided to the public by the CDC were of invaluable help in writing this book.
I particularly want to thank my editor, Tom Swanson (assisted by Emily Wendell); my wonderfully sharp-eyed copyeditor Mary M. Hill; and the entire team at the University of Nebraska Press for all their work and for, each of them, truly being a joy to work with.
In the category of Above and Beyond, my agent, Alec Shane, performed exceptional obstetrical service in bringing this book into the world. Emerging from his comments, questions, and thought-provoking wisecracks in our talks and emails, the view in this book took shape regarding why views of vice vary among people and why they often change over time.
Also in the realm of Above and Beyond, I am indebted to Arlene Balkansky at the Library of Congress Serial and Government Publications Division for helping me obtain the public domain illustrations in this book from the extraordinary collections of the Library of Congress and from its Chronicling America database. I am also grateful to her for information, in the form of stern warnings, regarding copyright intricacies of digitized images and something called posthumous rights of noncopyright holders. And I am grateful to her for marrying me thirty-nine years ago.