The Proustian Quest

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Universit y of Alabama a t Birmingham fo r supportin g thi s project throug h a sabbatical leav e an d a Graduat e Schoo l Researc h Gran t whic h allowed me to undertake th e work tha t resulted in this book. I a m gratefu l t o Tinke r B . Dunbar , o f th e Referenc e Department o f Mervy n H . Stern e Librar y a t th e Universit y o f Alabama a t Birmingham , fo r he r skil l i n locatin g an d obtainin g rare books an d othe r documents ; t o Richard Bleiler , Humanitie s Librarian, fo r hi s effort s i n maintainin g an d strengthenin g ou r Proust holdings , no w th e thir d larges t i n th e world . I a m als o indebted t o Florence Callu , head o f the manuscript departmen t a t the Bibliothequ e National e an d catalogue r o f th e Proust' s manuscripts, who, on many occasion s graciously provided impor tant assistance . Th e illustration s tha t grac e thi s boo k ar e repro duced throug h th e generosit y o f th e Associatio n de s Ami s d e Jacques-Henri Lartigue , th e Colleg e d e France, th e Philadelphi a Museum o f Art, Stanfor d Universit y Archives , an d Mm e Odil e Gevaudan—all of whom I thank . Friends wh o hav e aide d an d encourage d m e alon g th e way includ e Rober t E . Bowden , E . Culpeppe r Clark , Marie Colette Lefort , an d Cla y Nordan . I am especiall y gratefu l t o m y wife, Lynn , for he r constan t suppor t an d invaluable editoria l sug gestions . To my children, Josephine, Sarah , and Susanna , for thei r patience and wonderful distractions . I would als o like t o than k m y editor , Jason Renker , an d the editoria l staf f at New Yor k Universit y Pres s for thei r fait h i n this project, an d Henry Krawitz for his excellent copy-editing . —WC.C. xiii ...