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I was afraid that everybody would say, “What liars.” There was no way of checking. Some pompous people would claim ridiculous totals, especially since there were some anthologies there including, let's say, 32 diverse stories. If you'd read one of them, you'd include that as one of the books you had read. It was just one of many ideas that died aborning.

I just don't understand how Liveright was able to attract all those celebrities. I know that all the other publishers were very stuffy and they weren't willing to gamble. But there must have been... I mean some of the books he published are real literature.

Eugene O'Neill, for instance. Well, that was because...

Did he really appreciate O'Neill or was this just luck?

Some luck was involved, but remember he was the only publisher who would dream of going way down to the Provincetown Playhouse. Those other stuffy publishers would go home to Long Island or Connecticut to their social friends. Publishing was sort of a closed corporation in those days. The owners were all middle-aged or older, members of old old families. Publishing was considered a very dignified profession. Liveright was deeply resented by these old boys. They hated him. They even hated Knopf and Huebsch, who were starting at this time. There had never been a Jew in the publishing business. This