Re: what sources will do

[Kristen Immoor <kimmoor@mindspring.com>]

>Congratulations, Mr. Rhem! You have flushed the snakes out from the bushes.

    Ha ha, actually I'm glad to read that James took your letter as a
compliment, David, because I thought for sure there was gonna be a brawl...
I had to go back and re-read the entire T&E thread just to be certain where
my allegiance lay! And for the record, I'm still not sure if I like being
thought of as someone with deliberately antithetical beliefs, resultant of
my participation in this most sacred "cult experience." ;-)

    Seriously, I hope no one has offended you here -not that I can do
anything about it, really- and I'm sure you recognize that your father's
book is appreciated to varying degrees by everyone with an interest in
Gould. I thought James' criticisms were fair, given his expectations, and I
expect they were taken not as criticisms from a book editor or an authority
on literature, but as input from a fellow listmember with an opinion to
share.
    Peter Ostwald didn't write a "safe" biography steeped in idolatry,
anecdote and cliche praise. I think it's completely reasonable to expect
criticism for that. Conversely, for someone with training in a
traditionally "loaded" field of study like Freudian psychology, Peter
didn't write as revealing a book as he could have, and this was bound to
annoy a few people as well. Overall I was pleased by the blend of styles,
but no book is ever going to be all things to all people. I'm sure you know
that, so I won't belabor it.

    As an interesting sidenote, I find it a nice coincidence that two of
the most debated (around here, anyway) Gould bios were actually suggested
by the authors' children. Molly Friedrich nudged her father into becoming
Gould's official biographer, and you gave your father the encouragement to
go Gould. You can be proud of not only your parents' combined effort in
bringing this work to completion, but also the final result itself. Just
out of curiosity, were you at Dolby Labs in May?

    In closing, I'm delighted you were incited to post. You should have
spoken up sooner, David... people with relevant backgrounds shouldn't lurk.
;-)

Best regards,
Kristen "enough about the chair, already" Immoor

____________________________________________________________________________

"I believe a musical performance is not a contest but a love affair and
that love affairs must be conducted in private."
                                         -- Puritan, David Young's "Glenn"