How Does Aspirin Find a Headache? (37 page)

Change is a constant, but the support and enthusiasm of the readers of Imponderables books is one of the few things I can always count on. Your letters are the lifeblood of this book, not only because you offer Imponderables and Frustables solutions but because your criticisms let me know where I’ve gone wrong, and your praise inspires me to keep working.

In the past year, I’ve tried to reply to your letters in a speedier fashion; most of the time, I have succeeded. Please be patient if it takes me a while to get back to you. Particularly when I’m on the road publicizing a book or in the throes of writing a new manuscript, I may have to slow down the correspondence. But rest assured I read every word of every letter I receive and still answer all mail that comes with a self-addressed stamped envelope.

It is with bittersweetness that I acknowledge my editor, Rick Kot, for all of his help over the last six years. Rick is leaving behind a trail of friends and admirers as he departs HarperCollins, and I’m at the top of that long list.

Rick’s assistant, Sheila Gilooly, a gifted editor in her own right, has also flown the coop to pursue bigger and better things. Thank you, Sheila, for making my work not only easier but more fun.

Thankfully, all my other “main squeezes” at HarperCollins are still around to make it a wonderful place for an author. Thanks to Craig Herman for guiding my publicity for the past five years and to Wende Gozan for her indefatigable enthusiasm while booking my tour for
Poodles
and this book (this is her
Headache
as well as mine).

Every year, it seems the production schedule gets more hectic. Special thanks to the team that help make my prose coherent and the package attractive: Kim Lewis, Maureen Clark, Janet Byrne, Karen Malley, and Suzanne Noli.

Even the Grand Pooh Bahs at HarperCollins have been consistently gracious and supportive. Thanks to Bill Shinker, Roz Barrow, Brenda Marsh, Pat Jonas, Zeb Burgess, Karen Mender, Steve Magnuson, Robert Jones, Joe Montebello, Susan Moldow, Clinton Morris, and Steven Sorrentino. Connie Levinson and Mark Landau, and the entire special markets department, have been a constant source of creative ideas and friendship. And we can’t even talk about the achievements of the Academic and Library Promotion Department (Joan Urban, Diane Burrowes, Virginia Stanley, and Sean Dugan)—after all, this is a family book. And a salute to all my friends in the publicity, sales, and Harper Audio divisions.

My agent, Jim Trupin, is like my Boswell—Tom Boswell, that is. Sorry, I couldn’t resist a cheap joke, which is why Jim and I get along so well—I’m willing to listen to his clunkers, too. If Jim’s my Boswell, then Liz Trupin’s my Marion Ross, and my days have been happier since I’ve known her.

Kassie Schwan is one of the few illustrators I know who can make aspirin look interesting. Come to think of it, she’s managed to make nine of my books look interesting. Thanks for your wonderful work.

Special gratitude is owed to friends in the publishing business who allow me to natter on about my problems and reciprocate by offering warm shoulders and sage advice. Thank you, Mark Kohut, Susie Russenberger, Barbara Rittenhouse, James Gleick, and all of my Prodigy pals, especially the Housewife Writers.

Let us now praise those whose research proved invaluable. Thanks to Sherry Spitzer, Judith Dahlman, Honor Mosher. David Schisgall, and Chris McCann for making my work so much easier.

Thanks to all my friends and family, who actually managed to tolerate me for another year: Jesus Arias; Michael Barson; Sherry Barson; Rajat Basu; Ruth Basu; Barbara Bayone; Jeff Bayone; Jean Behrend; Marty Bergen; Brenda Berkman; Cathy Berkman; Sharyn Bishop; Andrew Blees; Carri Blees; Christopher Blees; Jon Blees; Bowling Green State University’s Popular Culture Department; Jerry Braithwaite; Annette Brown; Arvin Brown; Herman Brown; Ernie Capobianco; Joann Carney; Lizzie Carnie; Susie Carnie; Janice Carr; Lapt Chan; Mary Clifford; Don Cline; Dori Cohen; Alvin Cooperman; Audrey Cooperman; Marilyn Cooperman; Judith Dahlman; Paul Dahlman; Shelly de Satnick; Charlie Doherty; Laurel Doherty; Joyce Ebert; Pam Elam; Steve Feinberg; Fred Feldman; Gilda Feldman; Michael Feldman; Phil Feldman; Ron Felton; Kris Fister; Mary Flannery; Linda Frank; Elizabeth Frenchman; Michele Gallery; Chris Geist; Jean Geist; Bonnie Gellas; Richard Gertner; Amy Glass; Bea Gordon; Dan Gordon; Emma Gordon; Ken Gordon; Judy Goulding; Chris Graves; Christal Henner; Lorin Henner; Marilu Henner; Melodie Henner; David Hennes; Paula Hennes; Sheila Hennes; Sophie Hennes; Mitchell Hofing; Steve Hofman; Bill Hohauser; The Housewife Writers; Uday Ivatury; Terry Johnson; Sarah Jones; Allen Kahn; Mitch Kahn; Joel Kaplan; Dimi Karras; Steve Kaufman; Robin Kay; Stewart Kellerman; Eileen Kelly; Harvey Kleinman; Claire Labine; Randy Ladenheim-Gil; Julie Lasher; Debbie Leitner; Marilyn Levin; Vicky Levy; Rob Lieberman; Jared Lilienstein; Pon Hwa Lin; Adam Lupu; Patti Magee; Rusty Magee; everybody at the Manhattan Bridge Club; Phil Martin; Chris McCann; Jeff McQuain; Julie Mears; Phil Mears; Roberta Melendy; Naz Miah; Carol Miller; Honor Mosher; Barbara Musgrave; Phil Neel; Steve Nellisen; Craig Nelson; The Night Owl Chat gang; Millie North; Milt North; Charlie Nurse; Debbie Nye; Tom O’Brien; Pat O’Connor; Terry Oleske; Joanna Parker; Jeannie Perkins; Merrill Perlman; Joan Pirkle; Larry Prussin; Marlys Ray; Joe Rowley; Rose Reiter; Brain Rose; Lorraine Rose; Paul Rosenbaum; Carol Rostad; Tim Rostad; Leslie Rugg; Tom Rugg; Gary Saunders; Joan Saunders; Mike Saunders; Norm Saunders; Laura Schisgall; Cindy Shaha; Pat Sheinwold; Aaron Silverstein; Kathy Smith; Kurtwood Smith; Susan Sherman Smith; Chris Soule; Sherry Spitzer; Stan Sterenberg; Kat Stranger; Anne Swanson; Ed Swanson; Mike Szala; Jim Teuscher; Josephine Teuscher; Laura Tolkow; Albert Tom; Matddy Tyree; Alex Varghese; Carol Vellucci; Hattie Washington; Ron Weinstock; Roy Welland; Dennis Whelan; Devin Whelan; Heide Whelan; Lara Whelan; Jon White; Ann Whitney; Carol Williams; Maggie Wittenburg; Karen Wooldridge; Maureen Wylie; Charlotte Zdrok; Vladimir Zdrok; and Debbie Zuckerberg;

Because Imponderables are questions with answers not easily found in books, we rely on the wisdom of experts in every imaginable field. Although we contacted close to 1,500 corporations, universities, foundations, professors, associations, and miscellaneous experts on everything from acrylic to yogurt, we thank here only the sources who led directly to the answers to the Imponderables in this book:

Morris Adams, Thomas Built Buses; Tony Aiello, California Beef Council; Bob Alter, Polaroid Corporation; Harry Amdur, American Photographic Historical Society; John Anderson, Borden’s Glue; Carl Andrews, Hershey Foods Corporation; Joe Andrews, Pillsbury Brands.

Bill Baker, Recreational Vehicle Industry Association; Joseph P. Bark; Kim Barley, White Castle; Andrea Bean, ERIC; Kathie Bellamy, Baskin-Robbins; Elizabeth Berrio, Immigration and Naturalization Service; Susan Berry; Melissa Bertelsen, First Data Resources, Inc.; Jim Boldt, Great Northern Corporation; Al Brock, WKLX; Don Buckley, National Ice Cream Retailers Association; Robert Burnham,
Astronomy
; Russell Burns, American Racing Pigeon Union; Steve Busits, American Homing Pigeons Fanciers.

John Cahill, Fine Are Photography; Frank Calandra, Photographic Historical Society; Rick Campbell, NCAA; Jeff Carpenter, Washington State Superintendent of Physical Education and Health Education; Bob Carroll, Pro Football Researchers Association; Ellen Carson, Empire Berol USA; David Cerull, Fire Collectors Club; Lynn Chen, American Numismatic Association; Officer Claggett, Richmond, Virginia Police Department; Annette Clark, Scottish Heritage Association; Calvin Clemons, National Association of Writing Instruments; Linda W. Coleman, Bureau of Engraving and Printing; Mark T. Conroy, National Fire Protective Association; John Cook, Georgia Dermatology and Skin Cancer; Tony Crawford, Dallas Police Department; Todd Culver, Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology; Kimberly J. Cutchins, National peanut Council.

Sandy Davenport, International Jelly and Preserve Association; Harold Davis, FDA; Thomas Deen, Transportation Research Board; Georgeanne Del Canto, Brooklyn, New York Board of Education; Arthur Douglas, Lowell Corporation; Joe Doyle; Bill Dwyer, Federal Signal Corporation.

Merle Ellis; Kay Engelhardt, American Egg Board; Stuart Ensor, National Live Stock & Meat Board; Marcus Evans, GACCP.

Darryl Felder, University of Louisiana, Lafayette; Fred Feldman; Karen Finkel, National School Transportation Association; Sheila Fitzgerald, Michigan State University; Dan Flory, Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science; William Frank, Aluminum Company of America; Meryl Friedman, Mattel Toys.

Samuel R. Gammon, American Historical Society; Marsha R. Gardner, Hershey Foods; Brenda Gatling, United States Mint; Jay Gilbert; Joan Godfrey, Alpines International; Emmanuel Goldman,
Curriculum Review
; Ailette Gomex, California Pistachio Commission; Michael Goodwin, International Paper; Stanley Gordon, Bridge Division, Federal Highway Administration; Lee Grant, Agricultural Extension Service, University of Maryland; Tina Steger Gratz, American Dental Association; Robert Gray, Old Dominion Box Company; Gene Gregory, United Egg Producers.

Officer Hallock, Salt Lake City Police Department; Herb Hammond, New York Rangers; Paul Hand, Atlantic Dairy Cooperative; Darryl Hansen, Entomological Society of America; Charles E. Hanson, Museum Association of the American Frontier; Pat Harmon, College Football Hall of Fame; Ruth Harmon, Miller Brewing Company; Megan Haugood, California Table Grape Commission; John Bell Henneman, ICHRPI; Martin Henry, National Fire Protection Association; David Hensing, AASHTO; Billy Higgins, AASHTO; Janet Hinshaw, Wilson Ornithological Society; Bruce Hisley, National Fire Academy; Francis Hole; David Hoover; Ike House; John Howland, American Goat Society; Richard Hudnut, Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association; John Husinak, Middlebury College; W. Ray Hyde.

Peter Ihrke, American Academy of Veterinary Dermatology.

Simon S. Jackel; Sally Jameson, Braille Institute; Alison Johnson, Delta Airlines; Michele Waxman Johnson, Institute of Transportation Engineers.

Maggie Kannan, Department of Photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Kelly Karr, American Meat Institute; Phil Katz, Beer Institute; V. Herbert Kaufman, SAE International; Carol Keis, Hanna-Barbera Productions; Glenda Kelley; Lynn Kimsey, Bohart Museum of Entomology; Anthony L. Kiorpes, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine; Ben Klein; Phil Klein; Robin Klein, Pork Information Bureau; Don Koehler, Georgia Peanut Commission; Richard Kramer, National Pest Control Association; Sharon Kulak, National Live Stock & Meat Board.

Catherine R. Lambrechts, Dean Witter Financial Services Group; Richard Landesman, University of Vermont; Michael de L. Landon, University of Mississippi; Christopher Landry, New Orleans Police Department; Gerald Lange, Alliance for Contemporary Book Arts; Michael Lauria; Kenneth Leavell, Du Pont; Thomas A. Lehmann, American Institute of Baking; Rafael Lemaitre, Museum of Natural History; Joe Lesniak, Door and Hardware Manufacturing Institute; Gene Lester, American Society of Camera Collectors; Barbara Linton, National Audubon Society; Jerome Z. Litt; Theodore Lustig, West Virginia University; Denny Lynch, Wendy’s.

Steward MacBreachan; Alan MacRobert,
Sky & Telescope
; Judy Maire, National Association of School Nursing Consultants; Ed Marks,
The Ice Screamer
, Bob Martin, Scottish Tartan Society; Nancy Martin, Vermont Institute of Natural Science; John T. McCabe, Master Brewers of the Americas; Roy McJunkin, California Museum of Photography; Pat McKelvey, Wine Institute; Lisa McKendall, Mattel Toys; Carmen Miller, Helen of Troy Corporation; Patricia Milroy, McDonald’s; Joseph Mitchell, University of Richmond; Randy Morgan, Cincinnati Insectarium; Rose Motzko, Walt Disney; Michelle Mueckenhoff, Dairy Council of Wisconsin.

Jean Naras, American Dairy Association; National Collegiate Athletic Association; Kevin Newsome, Newsome’s Studio of Photography; James Nolan, Fibre Box Association; Human Numan, Z-100.

Richard O’Brien; Barnet Orenstein; Alberta Orr, American Foundation for the Blind; Betsey Owens, Virginia-Carolina Peanut Promotion.

Richard Palin, Loctite Corporation; Tonya Parravano, National Live Stock & Meat Board; Peanut Factory; Joan Peyrebrune, Institute of Transportation Engineers; Bob Phillips, American Racing Pigeon Union; Planters Corporation; Jay Poster,
Agronomy News
; Mary Potter, Mead Corporation; Bill Powell, Booth Memorial Medical Center; Gary Priest, San Diego Zoo.

Howard Raether; T.E. Reed, American Rabbit Breeders Association; Donna Reed, National Pasta Association; Carl Reichenbach, Dixon Ticonderoga Company; Viva Reinhardt; Revlon, Inc.; John-Paul Richluso, American Association for State and Local History; Robin Roche, San Francisco Zoological Society; John R. Rodenburg, Federated Funeral Directors of America; Janet Rodowca, Fort Howard; Robert R. Rofen, Aquatic Research Institute; Grant Romer, George Eastman House; Officer Romero, Los Angeles Police Department; Mary H. Ross, Virginia Polytechnic Institute; Kate Ruddon, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; Tonda Rush, National Newspaper Association; John Rutkauskas, American Society for Geriatric Dentistry.

Walter Sanders, Diners Club International; Richard Santore, Associated Funeral Directors Service International; Leslie Saul, San Francisco Zoological Society; Ray Schmidt; Robert Schmidt, North American Native Fishes Association; Paul Schofield, Discover Credit Corporation; Jim Schreier, Council on America’s Military Past; Don Schwartz, Children’s Hospital; Ira Schwartz, New York State Regents Advisory Committee; Norman Scott, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles; Samuel Selden; Arlene Sheffield, New York State Education Department; Ron Siebel, J.E. Siebel Sons’ Company; John Simmons, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists; Charles Simpson, Texas A&M; Harry Skinner, Traffic Engineering Division, Federal Highway Administration; Philip and Shirley Smith; Bob Smith, Cytec; Bruce V. Snow; Stephen Snyder, Book Manufacturers Institute; Daniel Solomon, E&J Gallo Winery; Jeff Solomon-Hess,
Recycling Today
; Kent Sorrells, Altadena Certified Dairy; Dennis Stacey; Lynne Strang, Distilled Council of the United States; Robert Strawn, RVDA of North America; Joe Struble, George Eastman House.