From: Susan Daugherty <kdaugherty>
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 21:26:03 -0500

Borrowed a copy of DEAR GENIUS and practically read straight through till I finished it. Now I realize I need to own a copy because I want to read it again and again. It really is inspiring to read about a wise, funny, principled person like Ursula. Like several others, I found the book so tantalizing; I want a full-length biography now with nothing left out! I felt so sad when it just ended. What was the end of UN's life like, I wondered. Maybe it is better not to know....

I would like to see editors' names on copyright pages; they seem as important as the designer, certainly. I imagine a lot of them would just as soon keep their anonymity; too many letters from those crazy librarians would come pouring in.

I was surprised that Laura Ingalls Wilder's texts came in perfect, no editing needed. Then I realized, of course not, they had already been edited by Rose, her daughter. Another wonderful example of a very creative collaboration between author and editor, producing books as good as those of UN and her writers. Rose was a decent writer but not great; her brilliant gifts must have been in editing, and Laura's books are her legacy too, not because she wrote them, as some silly person says, but because she helped Laura shape them. (She should have got a byline.)

This has been my favorite discussion so far!!

Susan Susan Daugherty Librarian Franklin Elementary School Madison, WI 53505

kdaugherty at madison.k12.wi.us
Received on Wed 26 Aug 1998 09:26:03 PM CDT