Previous | Next
Session: 1234567891011121314151617 Page 203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265 of 824
and so on so on so on so on, working all the time.” I couldn't believe it.
How good an editor was he?
He was a very good editor in terms of ideas, subjects, a feel for what's interesting, and he was a pretty good word editor--but I think he was a better idea-editor than a word-editor.
How good--
John Billings was a great word-editor.
How good a businessman was he?
Very good.
What would be an example?
He had a very good sense of figures. He knew perfectly well what the situation was at any one moment. He kept very close track of all the business trends. He could discuss business with anybody. He wasn't a C.P.A., but, as you know, originally he alternated running the business, and at any point later on he could have run the business. It might have taken him a bit of time to know how to operate the machine, but he could have run the business just as well as he could have edited.
© 2006 Columbia University Libraries | Oral History Research Office | Rights and Permissions | Help