I wish to express my gratitude to all those who enabled me to pursue my project of belated self-education. At the very top of the list of those to whom I am indebted are John Wright, Tom Engelhardt, and Sara Bershtel. Literary agents, editors, and publishers don’t come any better. To each, I say simply this: Thank you for encouragement, counsel, and friendship.
Rita Quintas and Jason Ng shepherded the manuscript through the production process with cool efficiency. Lucky for me and the book Melanie DeNardo continues to contribute the skills of a first-class publicist.
My young research assistants Paul Roche, Sibyl Kirkpatrick-McKee, and Larissa Forster did a superlative job in tracking down stray facts. Larissa, you are in a league of your own.
For timely advice, I am grateful to Casey Brower, Gian Gentile, Bob Griffith, and especially Dick Kohn, one of the wisest and most generous people I’ve ever been privileged to know.
My debt to the Lannan Foundation grows apace. Toward the end of this project, a Lannan Writing Residency Fellowship allowed me to spend a very productive month in Marfa, Texas. Special thanks to Douglas Humble and Ray Freese for doing so much to make the time spent in Marfa pleasant and rewarding. Since my wife, Nancy, was able to come along, that made Marfa even better. When she is near, things are good. It’s that simple.
Fortunate indeed is the academic who lands a post at Boston University, where students and colleagues create a stimulating environment in which to teach and think. I am especially grateful to Dean Gina Sapiro and to my departmental chairs Charles Dellheim, Erik Goldstein, and Bruce Schulman for their superlative leadership and for granting me leave so that I could finish this project and get started on the next one.
The dedication of this book is to three remarkable young women who bring joy to the life of a very proud and loving father.