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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S TH I S B O O K I S essentially the product of two innocuous conversations . When I joined the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) in 1999, I asked author and journalist Peter Schrag, a member of PPIC’s advisory council, what I should read by way of general background on California history and politics. He recommended everything by Carey McWilliams. I had never heard of McWilliams, but what I learned of his life and work eventually led me to write a magazine article about him. While researching that article, I asked Kevin Starr, who was then the California state librarian, why there were no books on McWilliams. He offhandedly suggested that I write one and later sealed my fate by responding favorably to my prospectus. Together, those two exchanges launched a ‹ve-year reading, research, and writing effort. I am especially grateful for two grants—a Thayer Fellowship through the UCLA Library and an award from the Historical Society of Southern California and the Haynes Foundation. Although PPIC did not support the project, my employment there chimed well with its aims. President David Lyon encouraged my interest in McWilliams, and I bene‹ted from countless conversations with my colleagues, including former director of research Michael Teitz. Through PPIC, too, I gained access to the resources of the University of California library. By coordinating that access, Paul King at the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, made an indispensable contribution to this project. Jim Reische, my editor at the University of Michigan Press, reviewed the sample material and promptly signed the book. Later, he arranged for helpful reviews and offered his own thoughtful suggestions for revision. His clarity, purposefulness, and vision enhanced my own. I am grateful to everyone who spoke with me about McWilliams and this project, but several must be singled out for their support. Wilson Carey McWilliams’s help was especially critical. In addition to ‹elding my questions , he provided names of potential interviewees, read and commented on a complete draft, and made his personal papers and family photographs available to me. After his death in March 2005, Nancy McWilliams graciously helped me locate photos and complete this work. Iris Dornfeld McWilliams also offered her re›ections and encouraged the project. Early on, Henry Weinstein of the Los Angeles Times furnished me with valuable interview leads and contact information. Victoria Cohen Fante arranged my interview with her mother, Joyce Fante, whose recollections were especially helpful. Stephen Cooper, John Fante’s biographer, earned my gratitude with his encouragement, advice, and good company. Alice McGrath’s enthusiasm was contagious, and Lee Ann Meyer, whose dissertation on McWilliams was a constant companion, helped me sort through my impressions of the archival material at UCLA. Lou Cannon answered my questions about McWilliams patiently, proposed a related article for the California Journal, and critiqued the entire manuscript for the University of Michigan Press. Victor Navasky, publisher of the Nation, also reviewed at least one version of the manuscript, sat for an interview at his home in New York, and sprang for a delicious Chinese lunch. Peter Schrag and Susanna Cooper also commented helpfully on early drafts. Genie Guerard and her staff at the UCLA Library helped me navigate the McWilliams papers and locate photographs. All of this support informed and improved the book. Errors of omission and commission are, of course, my own. For other favors large and small, I am grateful to Greg Aplet, Ed Bacon, Peter Coveney, Allison Crilly, Sarah Curtis, Mickey and Christina Honchell, Adrian Maher, John Mullin, Ashley and Mary Richardson, Roderick Richardson, Scott Richardson, and Beth Tudor. I dedicate this book to my parents, Douglas and Gladys Richardson, with love. xiv A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S ...

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