NO BOOK IS the product of any single person, least of all any book of mine. With Trotsky in New York, 1917, I am grateful to acknowledge the help of many, whom I take this opportunity to thank.
Once I began writing, I benefited from the sharp eyes of friends and colleagues who gave me feedback on the manuscript. These included my OFW Law colleagues David Durkin, Bob Hahn, and Steve Terman; historian Will O’Neal, Bronx native Al Sorkowitz; Rabbi Lia Bass; and the accomplished members of my writing critique group: Nancy Derr, Michael Kirkland, Cheryl LaRoche, Bonny Miller, Diana Parsell, Michael Scadron, Judi Latta, and Sonja Williams.
A critical element of this project involved translation of source material from Russian, German, and Yiddish, and here too I benefited from the help of many, including, with Yiddish, Alexander Lieberman; with Russian, Straker Translations and Irina Kolb, a native of Kaliningrad; and, with German, Nicola Hofstetter, a native of Munich.
I also thank David North, chairman of the Socialist Equity Party and one of the leading modern Trotskyists in America; Professor Richard Spence of the University of Idaho; and Professor James G. Hershberg of George Washington University for sharing their expertise and insights.
Researching Trotsky’s New York story brought me to many of the great research centers of the country. Here, among others, I thank Gunnar Burg of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Chana Pollack of the Jewish Daily Forward, Carol Leadenham at the Hoover Institute Archives at Stanford University, and Laura Peimer of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University. A particular thanks goes to Andrina Tran for her help at the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University.
Living in the Washington, DC, area, I also benefit from being surrounded by a community of writers who are always generous in sharing knowledge and support. The Writers Center in nearby Bethesda, the Washington Biography Group, and the Washington Independent Review of Books all have been part of my life here for many years and have enriched me continually with their friendship. Part of this community includes my main research homes for this project, the Library of Congress on Capitol Hill and the National Archives research center at College Park, Maryland, two national treasures deserving all our support. Their staffs are the best in their fields, and they certainly helped me during many long hours and days rummaging through materials. I make special mention of the teams at the Library of Congress manuscript, periodical, Hebraic, prints and photographs, and rare book rooms, who humored me on countless requests over many months.
I also thank the team at Counterpoint Press, who applied their considerable skill and expertise to all phases of bringing this manuscript to market, including editor Rolph Blythe, Bethany Onsgard, Kelly Winton, Sharon Wu, Meagan Fishmann, Peg Goldstein, and many others. My publicist, Jane Wesman at Jane Wesman PR, who teamed up with me a decade ago on my book Boss Tweed, led me once again through the maze of the New York media market. I also thank Karin Bilich and her group at Smart Author Sites for making my website presentable for the new book.
A special thanks goes to Ron Goldfarb, my agent, who heard me explain my slightly off-the-wall idea for a book about Trotsky and his barely ten weeks in Greenwich Village while watching a baseball game one summer night at Nationals Park and saw the promise in the concept. Another special thanks goes to Jack Shoemaker at Counterpoint Press, who also saw the potential when others did not. They took the risk and made this book a reality in a tight business climate. Their support made all the difference, and I appreciate it.
I thank my colleagues at OFW Law, my law firm home for the past fifteen years, for once again giving me the freedom and support to pursue this writing adventure. Thanks too to my big sister, Arline Hershberg, for key advice on items ranging from the book cover to the dedication to navigating the Bronx. Finally, to Karen, my wife: Thanks once again for being a good sport. For the next adventure, it’s your turn.