America's Obsessives: The Compulsive Energy That Built a Nation (44 page)

I would like to thank my agent, Suzanne Gluck of William Morris Endeavor, for suggesting that I turn my obsession with the obsessed into a book. Every time I found myself amused by the discovery of yet another obsessive quirk in one of my subjects—which was often—I couldn’t believe that I had a day job that I loved so much. Eric Lupfer, her colleague at William Morris Endeavor, also offered invaluable assistance on the proposal. At Grand Central, I am deeply indebted to the tireless efforts of my editor, John Brodie; in the hurly-burly world that is twenty-first-century publishing, it’s a distinct pleasure to work with someone so deeply committed to bringing out the best in his writers. His assistant, Meredith Haggerty, has also been helpful at each stage of the process. I also thank Rachel Youdelman for reading a draft of the manuscript and for her expert photo research.

While numerous archivists from across the country responded to my queries, several deserve special mention. Judith Schiff, chief research archivist of the Yale University Library, helped me find what I was looking for in the vast collection of Lindbergh manuscripts located at Yale’s Sterling Library in New Haven. Likewise, Thomas G. Lannon, assistant curator of Manuscripts and Archives at the New York Public Library; Peter Nelson, assistant archivist at the Amherst College Library; Kajsa Anderson, archives graduate assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana; and Tara C. Reid, reference services supervisor at Columbia University’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library, were all instrumental in helping me track down various Melvil Dewey manuscripts. At the Kinsey Institute, Shawn Wilson, library public services manager, made sure that I made the most of my trip to Bloomington. And Art Louderback, the chief librarian at the Heinz History Center, was a big help during my visit to Pittsburgh.

I am grateful to everyone who agreed to be interviewed (and their names are all listed in the notes section). I also owe a particular debt to those individuals who helped me contact difficult-to-reach family members and associates of my subjects. Tony Schwenk set up my interview with Dyrk Hesshaimer in Munich. Samantha Goldsmith, Enid Kemmer, and Bari Seiden of Estée Lauder Global Communications arranged for my visit to the company’s Fifth Avenue offices and for my interviews with Leonard Lauder, Ronald Lauder, William Lauder, Jane Lauder, and Aerin Lauder. And Bill Nowlin helped me locate Ted Williams’s nephews, Ted Williams and Sam Williams, whom I interviewed by phone. And thanks to Steve Alexander for setting up my phone interview with Hall of Famer Wade Boggs.

And I am grateful to Carrie and Thomas Kupka, the current residents of the fifth-floor apartment at 44 Agnesstrasse in Munich, where Lindbergh first met Brigitte and Marietta Hesshaimer, for inviting me to visit their home.

A fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts funded a three-week residency in December 2010.

Finally, I want to acknowledge the friendship of the late Andrew Brink, a former professor of English at McMaster University and a prolific literary scholar, to whom this book is dedicated. I first met Andrew in 1995 at an academic conference. In the early 2000s, as I was starting out as a biographer, he took the time to read whatever I sent him and provide insightful feedback. And his thoughtful work has helped me find my own niche. As he noted in the first line of his 1996 book,
Obsession and Culture
, “Obsession is a term in broad popular use whose value in studying culture has been underestimated.”

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Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
Prologue: The Obsessive Innovator
Part One: Founding Farmers and Factoid Finders
1.: Politics: Thomas Jefferson
2.: Marketing: Henry Heinz
Part Two: Secret Sex Maniacs
3.: Information Technology: Melvil Dewey
4.: Sexuality: Alfred Kinsey
5.: Aviation: Charles Lindbergh
Part Three: Celebrity Compulsives
6.: Beauty: Estée Lauder
7.: Sports: Ted Williams
Epilogue: Future Obsessives
Sources
Acknowledgments
Newsletters
Copyright