In British academia, where research “outputs” are counted, weighed, and graded over five-year cycles, spending a decade writing a single book is not a wise course. That I’ve been able to pursue this project in continuous paid employment owes much to the forbearance of academic colleagues at the University of Nottingham and the University of East Anglia.
At Nottingham, I would like to thank Richard Aldrich and Simon Tormey for their support. In the School of American Studies, I was fortunate to discuss the ideas animating the book with Richard King, a superb intellectual historian. I also benefited from Fredrik Logevall’s year at Nottingham as a Visiting Leverhulme Professor, during which we cotaught a seminar on George Kennan and had many fine conversations about writing. (Fred’s Embers of War is my favorite history book of the past decade.) My friend and colleague Matthew Jones was a superb mentor to me, and I continue to benefit from his deep historical knowledge. I also thank Nottingham for supporting my research with an “early career researcher” award.
At the University of East Anglia, I owe a special debt of gratitude to John Street, not least for hiring me. Like Richard Aldrich at Nottingham, John is as thoughtful and attentive a head of department as one could hope to have. Hussein Kassim has supported my research unfailingly and, with Sara Connolly, hosted some memorable evenings. My sincere thanks also go to Simon Curtis, Heather Savigny, Valentino Cardo, Chris Hanretty, Alex Brown, Adriana Sinclair, Nick Selby, John Turnpenny, John Greenaway, Alan Finlayson, and Lee Marsden. Kaeten Mistry, Richard Crockatt, and David Gill all read multiple chapters, and I’m particularly grateful to all three for their smart and incisive comments.
The book began life at the University of Cambridge, and I would like to express gratitude to colleagues there. I am fortunate to have two good friends—Joel Isaac and Andrew Preston—who also happen to be outstanding scholars of American history. My conversations with both, in Cambridge and elsewhere, greatly enriched the book. John Thompson and I discussed the book on numerous occasions, and his comments on various draft chapters were typically insightful. My thanks also go to Tony Badger, both for agreeing to supervise my Ph.D. in John’s absence and for assisting my career in many ways since.
I was fortunate to receive substantial financial support in completing this book. My thanks go to the British Academy, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Fox International Fellowship program at Yale University, and the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia. The University of Nottingham and UEA each granted me a semester’s sabbatical leave to research the book, for which I am very grateful.
This funding allowed me to conduct research at various archives, where I received first-rate assistance. At Princeton’s Seeley Mudd Library, I’d like to thank Dan Linke, Jennifer Cole, and John DeLooper. At the Library of Congress, my thanks go to Jennifer Brathovde. At the American Philosophical Society, I’d like to extend my appreciation to Marty Levitt and Roy Goodman. At the University of Pennsylvania, Nancy Shawcross pointed me in the direction of some archival gems. At Columbia University Archives, Sady Sullivan provided vital assistance.
Other friends and colleagues read draft chapters and offered helpful feedback. With all the usual disclaimers, my sincere thanks go to Richard Immerman, whose comments on the early chapters were immensely helpful. I am also very grateful to Bevan Sewell, John Griffin, and Nick Hermann for reading and commenting. During a stint in Philadelphia in 2009, Bruce Kuklick was generous in offering his perspective on the project. My sister, Eve Hepburn, read the entire manuscript and offered a thoughtful commentary throughout. I’m also grateful to other family and friends including Margo Milne, John Griffin, Nathaniel Millett, Robert Reed, Austin Fido, Dan Crowe, Andrew and Christine Rudalevige, Christopher McKnight Nichols, Samuel Windham, Deirdre Williams, John Kimbell, Hannah Hunter and Jason Chilvers, Martin and Verity Conway, Simon Gerrard, Giles Foden, Tom and Caroline Ablewhite, Sarah Pearsall, Andrew Trask, Christine Carroll, Tim Lynch, and Steve and Debbie Scalet for their companionship and good cheer.
I have taught a module based on this book since 2005, and I’d like to extend my thanks to all my students for the stimulating conversations we’ve had. In particular, I’d like to record my appreciation for Thomas Tunstall Allcock and Charlie Laderman, now embarking on what I’m sure will be distinguished academic careers. This book would have been very difficult to research and write without having the opportunity to teach it. So I thank Nottingham and UEA for putting the course on their books, and the students who chose it as a final-year option.
I am very grateful to Andrew Wylie for his encouragement, patience, and fine eye for author-editor matchmaking. At the Wylie Agency, my thanks also go to James Pullen and Nina Ellis. Just as he was with America’s Rasputin, my editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Eric Chinski, has been an outstanding reader and critic. His very smart comments on the manuscript at multiple stages improved the book immensely. I’m very fortunate to be one of his authors. At FSG, I’m also very grateful to Peng Shepherd, Gabriella Doob, Eugenie Cha, Gena Hamshaw, Cynthia Merman, Jim Guida, Noreen McAuliffe, Lyn Rosen, and Scott Auerbach for their assistance on multiple levels.
I owe the greatest debt to my wife, Emma, who offered her love and support, commented insightfully on draft chapters, and shared equally in the running of the home. These past eight years have been particularly special. Our son, Benedict, was born in 2007, and our daughter, Anna, was born in 2009. They have enriched my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined. This book is dedicated with much love to Emma, Ben, and Anna.