Bookwomen: Creating an Empire in Children’s Book Publishing, 1919–1939

Acknowledgments

I owe an immense debt of gratitude to several individuals in connection with this project. In its early stages, I had the good fortune to work with a fine dissertation committee whose active engagement and consistent enthusiasm were vital to its success. In particular, Joan Shelley Rubin and Lynn Gordon offered insights that always challenged me to shift the lens and see more. Support from the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Rochester in the form of research funding and a dissertation fellowship was most beneficial and greatly appreciated. In later stages, this study benefited tremendously from other individuals whose scholarship I deeply respect. I am especially indebted to Wayne Wiegand and James Danky for invaluable perspectives, ongoing encouragement , and outstanding editorial support. Christine Jenkins, Betsy Hearne, and Melanie Kimball read the manuscript, generously offering comments that distinctly enriched my understanding of the subject. I am grateful to each of you. Special thanks are also owed to David Mitchell, curator pro bono at the Miriam Snow Mathes Historical Children’s Literature Collection at the State University of New York at Albany, for his unfailing willingness to share with me his rich understanding of children’s literature, and to Shelly Rafferty, a fine bookwoman herself, who offered a listening ear, energetic conversations, and, as always, extraordinary friendship. I am thankful to Donna Webber, archivist at Simmons College, for assistance in locating photographs, and to Lolly Robinson at the Horn Book for reprint permission. acknowledgments ix Many individuals, by their love and support, have also made this book possible. Jerry Turk, thank you for building the bookshelves. Your confidence in me has been an indispensable component of every achievement. Finally, I am deeply grateful to my four daughters, Heather, Melissa, Rachel, and Sarah. Their relationships, to each other and to the world, remind me continually of the richness and complexity of being female. Thanks to each of you for everything, spoken and unspoken. x acknowledgments bookwomen ...