A change in plans

[Rob Wick]

Hello all.

Just wanted to let you know about a new direction I'm headed in. As many of you might know, I have been trying to put together a book on Ida Tarbell's study of Abraham Lincoln. I've done considerable research over the past few years, and I have actually written a few things. However, as I've collected more and more material I kept feeling like much of it was going to be wasted. Some of it didn't even fit within the parameters I set for myself. So, I put aside the Lincoln book and started putting together a plan to do an annotated bibliography of Tarbell's writing as well as writings about her. To date, I have found over 600 articles written by Tarbell and well over 750 unique articles about her.

A nagging thought kept bothering me, though. Who could I approach when it came time to submit it to a publisher? Obviously, it would have to be a university press. I sought the advice of forum member Tom Bogar as well as a gentleman by the name of Eric Sandweiss, who is the editor of the Indiana Magazine of History, where in 2018 I published an article about Tarbell and Lincoln's view of democracy. Neither Tom nor Eric were very optimistic that I could find a press interested in publishing the work, which after the amount of time I've put into it would be not only a waste of my time but of some money as well.

In his response, Eric suggested that I consider a full-scale biography of Tarbell, using the material that I've found and taking a fresh approach to her life, covering not only her work on Lincoln but all other aspects of her story. At first, I demurred, given that Kathleen Brady has written a perfectly good biography of Tarbell. However, Joe Di Cola, another forum member, noted that it had been almost 40 years since Kathy's book was published. Although it's still available through the University of Pittsburgh Press, there are some shortcomings. Kathy told me that she would do some things differently if she had the opportunity to rewrite her book. The main thing is that she would have done more with Tarbell and Lincoln.

As I continued to consider Eric's suggestion, I sought out the advice of some forum members along with others who are familiar with my work. I have to say that not everyone felt I would be doing the right thing. The sheer honesty of those friends was a good thing, however, because it made me rethink my own motivation. There are numerous things about Tarbell that are known, but many things that have been lost to history. Many of the articles I've uncovered have never been seen since they were originally published. But the biggest thing is the realization that I would not be trying to supersede Kathy's book, but rather adding to the work she's already done and (hopefully) making it relevant to a new generation of readers. To be sure, not everyone interested in history would be interested in this book, but this year alone there have been two new biographies of Buster Keaton published, and I never saw a clamoring from the public begging that a new biography, let alone two, be published.

To make a long story short, I have decided to attempt to write a new biography of Tarbell. My working title is Miss Tarbell: Literary Adventures of a Progressive Enigma. Most people, either friends or strangers, referred to her as Miss Tarbell. The subtitle will show the book to be a history of her writing combined with an attempt to place her both personally and professionally into the Progressive milieu. Finally, Tarbell and her sister destroyed much of her personal material before Tarbell died in 1944, placing anyone who attempts to write a biography that covers more than her working life on a difficult path. Without going into too much detail, I have found material that, while not ignored by previous writers, hasn't been given the proper perspective I feel it should be given.

Even though I've done considerable research, there is much more I have to do before I can attempt to write. I have to expand my research from Tarbell and Lincoln to Tarbell and, well, everyone.

I have to admit I still am facing this with some trepidation. I have a vigorous habit of beginning projects but never finishing them. However, I never gave up on the Tarbell/Lincoln work, but rather started in another direction based on the material I found. Much of what I would put into the Tarbell/Lincoln will be transferred to this new work, and what doesn't fit will either be placed into an article or quietly forgotten. I will be 60 in another year and a half, and before my time expires, I want to have something completed that will forever link my name to the subject we are all here to study. In other words, this, I hope, will be my contribution to the study of Lincoln, even if in a tangential way.

I have no set deadline for getting it finished. I have enough material on her early life that I think I will be able to start that first chapter in a few weeks. My early plans call for separating the book into four sections, each section containing four or five chapters, based chronologically. For example, the first chapter will be from her birth in 1857 up to her graduation from high school in Titusville, Pa., in 1876. As I go further along I will keep everyone informed as to my progress.

Wish me luck!

Best
Rob