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If everyone had a mind like Truman Capote, it wouldn't be needed.

No.

Also in 1961, we did a series of beautiful picture books called The Continent We Live On. The first one, naturally, was America. We've since done Europe and Australia. All three are successful.

I've made a note for 1962 to show you how everybody can go wrong on a book. A manuscript was delivered to us by an agent. The author was Stanley Wolpert. The book was about the conspiracy to murder Gandhi in India. It was called Nine Hours to Rama. I read it up in our Mt. Kisco house and was so excited by it that I called up the agent when I finished it at three o'clock in the morning and woke him up.

Oh, he must have loved you.

When he heard my enthusiasm, I knew that he would be delighted.

We signed it up and promptly submitted it to both the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Literary Guild. The Literary Guild in two days called up to buy it. Well, this was an unknown author. I wasn't going to hang around, waiting for the Book-of-the-Month Club judges to make up their minds. Besides, they are so busy these days picking sure things