In 1999 Oxford University Press published the 24-volume work American National Biography. It is supposed to be authoritative as well as expansive in scope. It cost s $2500, or $2095 including shipping if you ordered early! Your FLlW UPDATE editor and author of The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion wrote a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright, but then had his statement rejected by the Eastern Establishment editors, John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes of Columbia University. Limited to 5000 words (despite the fact that Wright is probably the best-known non-political American other than Frank Sinatra and Henry Ford), the article submitted concentrated on Wright's achievement of his lifelong ambition to create a Democratic American Architecture, which was accomplished only in the creation of the Usonian house. This focus apparently was unacceptible to the Easterners, who demanded more discussion of Wright's famous works, such as the Johnson Wax complex, the Guggenheim Museum et al. I made it clear I would "add" such information, but would not reduce what I had dedicated to Wright's true life focus. Easterners remain afraid to acknowledge Wright's success on his own terms. Please note the last sentence of the article which, clearly, does not apply to the Oxford University editors.

Oxford University Press eventually called upon Anthony Alofsin for the biography. He is an excellent Wright scholar who has made significant contributions to our knowledge of the master's work.

Herewith, then, is the article in its latest draft, for your delectation and consideration. Let me know what you think. Click here to access the Storrer Bio of Wright.