"I did not get to work with G. Thomas Tanselle in person and only once with Hershel Parker, but my experience with Hershel was very memorable. The press was anxious to publish Moby-Dick since the text had been set in type for years, but the Historical Note was proving difficult to finish. So Harry and I flew to Wilmington, Delaware, and spent a weekend with Hershel and his University of Delaware graduate students to pull things together: the effort involved all-nighters, disappearing files (retrieved by an IT savior), learning a new word processing program, and in the midst of it all, gourmet meals and homemade bread. . . ."
This was Thursday April 14,1988 through Saturday morning, April 16.
Harry had been in Wilmington since Friday the 8th, having flown into Philadelphia.
On the 14th I left at 10 am to pick Alma up in Philadelphia.
Later, "DISASTER." A student reformatted my hard drive. "30 mins+ of hysteria, tears gushing. My saintly behavior. Harry's saintly behavior. Larry here within an hour. Here 2 hours. Near total recovery of files. Great joke during elaborate meal [which I made during chaos]."And I whipped up a soufflet." Alma [archly]: "When did you find time?" Work all night in Kitchen. Astonishing persistence. We were up all night--not even lying on floor [i.e., for 10 minute nap]. About 4 or 430 I said to hell with prose, let's try for English. We got 9 or 10 pages printed out. . . . on Mark's printer. Alma printing off and on all night on 3rd floor. Off to airport at 545--could barely drive. Mark drove bk. Crashed for 2 hours. Mark slept here till 12 then put kitchen file on my computer.
Sunday 17th. Call at 9 am from Harry. "Rolling in clover" about his section.
April 18. Alma [in Illinois] wi very sick child.
This was Thursday April 14,1988 through Saturday morning, April 16.
Harry had been in Wilmington since Friday the 8th, having flown into Philadelphia.
On the 14th I left at 10 am to pick Alma up in Philadelphia.
Later, "DISASTER." A student reformatted my hard drive. "30 mins+ of hysteria, tears gushing. My saintly behavior. Harry's saintly behavior. Larry here within an hour. Here 2 hours. Near total recovery of files. Great joke during elaborate meal [which I made during chaos]."And I whipped up a soufflet." Alma [archly]: "When did you find time?" Work all night in Kitchen. Astonishing persistence. We were up all night--not even lying on floor [i.e., for 10 minute nap]. About 4 or 430 I said to hell with prose, let's try for English. We got 9 or 10 pages printed out. . . . on Mark's printer. Alma printing off and on all night on 3rd floor. Off to airport at 545--could barely drive. Mark drove bk. Crashed for 2 hours. Mark slept here till 12 then put kitchen file on my computer.
Sunday 17th. Call at 9 am from Harry. "Rolling in clover" about his section.
April 18. Alma [in Illinois] wi very sick child.
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