De Potter's Grand Tour (29 page)

I'd like to thank the following people who helped make this book possible: My mother, who gave me the key to the gilt cabinet when I was a young girl, thus igniting my interest in the dusty treasures left behind by lost stories; the librarians in Rochester, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, and Nicolas de Potter of Belgium, who helped me ferret out revealing clues from the muddle of history; Lisa Wright at the University of Rochester, John Knight at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and Steve Boldt, who helped put my words and pictures into print; Aimee Lykes, in memory, and Heather Partis, who gave me access to material on their side of the family; my agent, Geri Thoma, who brought me into the warmth of her office when I was twenty-two and has been giving me shelter ever since; my editor, Ileene Smith, who worked tirelessly to make this book stronger; my colleagues Kenneth Gross, Jennifer Grotz, and Stephen Schottenfeld, who, with their work and probing conversations, spark ideas; my friends and fellow artists—Maureen Howard, Mark Probst, Steve Erickson, Lori Precious, and Louise Glück—who helped me find my way through a labyrinth that at times threatened to defeat me; my daughters, Kathryn and Alice, who are my inspiration; and James Longenbach, who keeps me marveling as we travel together on this grand tour through life.

 

Also by Joanna Scott

Follow Me

Everybody Loves Somebody

Liberation

Tourmaline

Make Believe

The Manikin

Various Antidotes

Arrogance

The Closest Possible Union

Fading, My Parmacheene Belle

 

A Note About the Author

JOANNA SCOTT is the author of ten books, including
The Manikin
, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize;
Various Antidotes
and
Arrogance
, which were both finalists for the PEN/Faulkner Award; and the critically acclaimed novels
Make Believe
,
Tourmaline
,
Liberation
, and
Follow Me
. She is a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and a Lannan Award.

 

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

18 West 18th Street, New York 10011

Copyright © 2014 by Joanna Scott

All rights reserved

First edition, 2014

 

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Scott, Joanna, 1960–

De Potter's grand tour / Joanna Scott. — First edition.

   pages cm

ISBN 978-0-374-16233-7 (hardcover) — ISBN 978-0-374-71046-0 (ebook)

1. Voyages around the world—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3569. C636D43 2014

813'.54—dc23

2013048998

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