It was a pleasure to work with Ben Tate of Princeton University Press, a source of good judgment ever since our very first discussions on the idea of a book about idleness. Fabian Freyenhagen, Owen Hulatt, Michael Rosen, †Liberato Santoro-Brienza, and Tom Stern were kind enough to offer a wide range of challenging criticisms as well as valuable suggestions for texts and passages I might consider. Many of the questions put to me by colleagues at various conferences and colloquia, my own university included, made their mark. Beth Gianfagna copyedited the manuscript with considerable diligence. As ever, though, my greatest debt is to Eileen Brennan for her endless insight and support.