It has become a cliché to state in such pages, “This work could not have been possible without the support of many people,” but this may be one cliché a reader may forgive, since it’s true. James L. W. West III, John Francis X. Judge, Roxanna Bikadoroff, Georgia Newman, Peter B. Hirtle, and Janice T. Pilch shared their insights and offered advice on subjects both aesthetic and legal. Karin Coonrod, Alfred Corn, Wally Lamb, Mary Jo Bang, Julia Whitworth, and Marilyn Nelson all kindly spoke to me about O’Connor’s induction into the American Poets Corner. Gordon Thomas and Marshall Bruce Gentry, both of Georgia College, answered all my queries with the enthusiasm one would expect from fellow admirers of O’Connor.
The staff of the Manuscripts and Archives Division of the New York Public Library made the imposing task of sifting through hundreds of documents manageable and enjoyable, as did their colleagues at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Victoria Fox at Farrar, Straus and Giroux was patient and invaluable in helping me obtain the necessary permissions.
At the University of Georgia Press, Walter Biggins believed in the project from the beginning and responded to my many emails throughout the writing and preparation of the book; Beth Snead and John Joerschke helped get the manuscript in its present form. Daniel Simon provided expert copyediting. Kevin Mulchahey at the Rutgers University Library provided invaluable help with locating sources and tracking down stray reviews of O’Connor’s work as I delved more deeply into the topic. Elizabeth Teets of the Weinberg Memorial Library at the University of Scranton helped me locate an original copy of Esprit that celebrated O’Connor soon after her death. Barry Qualls of Rutgers University provided helpful comments about the book after its first draft was completed; his good humor and kindness will not be forgotten. And Father Robert Lynam of St. Augustine of Canterbury Church provoked me, long before I began this work and to the present day, into thinking more deeply about Catholicism; while we have never talked about O’Connor, his ideas have helped me better grasp her attitudes and themes.
Four extraordinary teachers deserve mention. Ronald Christ provided the kind of sharp feedback I first found when I was a student in his undergraduate classes many years ago. I am grateful for his honesty and insight. Robert Weisbuch taught me to think more clearly and deeply about Melville, which, in turn, helped me think more deeply about O’Connor, one of his literary descendants. Jonathan Rose first introduced me to the subject of book history and oversaw an earlier version of this work when he served as my dissertation director at Drew University. His enthusiasm, characterized by his ending many emails with the affirming command “Onward!”, meant a great deal to me and still does. Finally, I am forever indebted to William Vesterman, who provided good sense, conversation, and support throughout the writing of this book and throughout my adult reading life. It is no exaggeration to say that he taught me how to read critically when I entered his classroom many years ago at Rutgers; his friendship and approach to literature have made me a better reader, writer, and thinker than I ever would have been had we never met.
A second staple of acknowledgment pages is that the author’s family is thanked last. But how could things be otherwise? My children’s support of my work was constant and appreciated; their sense of humor always prevented me from taking myself too seriously, and I am grateful to them in ways they will not understand until they are older. My wife, Deirdre, supported this work from its beginning and motivated me to stick with it, especially on those days when I came home from the library empty-handed or with only a few sentences added to the whole. She, as Wordsworth wrote, has had “no slight or trivial influence / On that best portion of a good man’s life.” And while O’Connor reminds us that a good man is hard to find, I know that Deirdre has made me at least a better one, and it is to her that I dedicate this work.