Acknowledgments
My first thought, as always, is for Ann Benjamin Kirsch, my wife and lifelong best friend, and our gifted and accomplished children, Jennifer Rachel Kirsch and Adam Benjamin Kirsch, whose constancy, companionship and love have been essential to the writing of God Against the Gods and everything else I do.
This book is dedicated to my family and to someone who has been crucial to my writing life ever since the publication of The Harlot by the Side of the Road —Laurie Fox, whom I first met when she worked behind the counter of a bookstore in West Hollywood and soon came to know as a cherished friend. Laurie is my literary agent, and the kind of agent whom every writer dreams about, but that is only one of her gifts—she is also an accomplished artist, poet and novelist, a wise counselor on whom I have relied for her vision, sagacity, good advice.
Janet Goldstein, my editor at Viking, guided me through the conception and writing of both The Woman Who Laughed at God and God Against the Gods , and I am grateful for her discerning eye, expert editorial hand and lively spirit.
I am deeply grateful, too, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, who has given me so many opportunities over the years, starting with The Harlot by the Side of the Road and including the present book.
Among the many people at Viking with whom I worked closely on the present book were Beena Kamlani, Carolyn Coleburn, Cindy Hamel, Melanie Thurston, Rakia Clark, Ann Mah, Francesca Belanger, Greg Mollica, and Trent Duffy and I deeply enjoyed the opportunity to do so.
At Viking, I also appreciated the opportunity to work with Mike Brennan, Nancy Sheppard, Phil Budnick, Fred Huber, and Glenn Timony.
Susan Olinger, a gifted writer who shares my fascination with the ancients, provided expert and imaginative research assistance, and I made good use of research conducted for my earlier books by Adam Kirsch, Andrew Solomon, Leonard Braman and Vera Tobin. Michele Goldman ably assisted in map research and proofing the manuscript and galleys.
I have been supported and encouraged in important ways by family, friends, and colleagues to whom I express my heartfelt appreciation:
Judy Woo and Eui Sook (Angie) Yoon, my cherished friends and colleagues.
Remy Elizabeth Holzer, my daughter-in-law, and her family, Harold, Edith and Meg Holzer.
Candace Barrett Birk and Raye Birk, Maryann Rosenfeld and Shelly Kadish, Pat and Len Solomon.
K. C. Cole, my dear friend and a writer whose work on science has shaped my own work on the history of religion.
Janet Fitch, Diane Leslie, Mary Rakow, Carolyn See and Bernadette Shih, each of whom I admire as a fellow writer and depend on as a dear friend.
Linda Chester and her colleagues at the Linda Chester Agency.
Linda Michaels and Teresa Cavanaugh at Linda Michaels Ltd. International Literary Agents.
Steve Wasserman, Tom Curwen, Nick Owchar, Orli Low, Kristina Lindgren, Sara Lippincott, and Ethel Alexander at the Los Angeles Times Book Review .
Doug Brown, Tom Crouch, Lara Furar and Barbara Morrow and at the Los Angeles Times .
Jan Nathan and Terry Nathan at the Publishers Marketing Association.
Larry Mantle, Kitty Felde, Aimee Machado, Jackie Oclaray, Linda Othenin-Girard and Polly Sveda at KPCC-FM.
Rob Eshman at The Jewish Journal .
Sarah Spitz at KCRW-FM.
Gwen Feldman and Jim Fox at Silman-James Press, and Tony Cohan at Acrobat Books.
Connie Martinson, host of Connie Martinson Talks Books .
Doug Dutton, Lise Friedman and Ed Conklin at Dutton’s Books in Brentwood; Linda Urban at Vroman’s in Pasadena; Stan Madson and Jeanne D’Arcy at the Bodhi Tree in West Hollywood; Lita Weiss-man and Peggy Jackson at Border’s; Michele Yanow at Tree of Life Judaica & Books in Seattle; Abigail Yasgur at the Jewish Community Library in Los Angeles; and Michael Graziano.
Charlie Alexiev, Scott Baker, Lillian Heller Conrad, Jacob Gabay, Inge-Lise DeWolfe, Fred Huffman, Jill Johnson Keeney, Les Klinger, Rae Lewis, Dennis
My first thought, as always, is for Ann Benjamin Kirsch, my wife and lifelong best friend, and our gifted and accomplished children, Jennifer Rachel Kirsch and Adam Benjamin Kirsch, whose constancy, companionship and love have been essential to the writing of God Against the Gods and everything else I do.
This book is dedicated to my family and to someone who has been crucial to my writing life ever since the publication of The Harlot by the Side of the Road —Laurie Fox, whom I first met when she worked behind the counter of a bookstore in West Hollywood and soon came to know as a cherished friend. Laurie is my literary agent, and the kind of agent whom every writer dreams about, but that is only one of her gifts—she is also an accomplished artist, poet and novelist, a wise counselor on whom I have relied for her vision, sagacity, good advice.
Janet Goldstein, my editor at Viking, guided me through the conception and writing of both The Woman Who Laughed at God and God Against the Gods , and I am grateful for her discerning eye, expert editorial hand and lively spirit.
I am deeply grateful, too, to Clare Ferraro at Viking, who has given me so many opportunities over the years, starting with The Harlot by the Side of the Road and including the present book.
Among the many people at Viking with whom I worked closely on the present book were Beena Kamlani, Carolyn Coleburn, Cindy Hamel, Melanie Thurston, Rakia Clark, Ann Mah, Francesca Belanger, Greg Mollica, and Trent Duffy and I deeply enjoyed the opportunity to do so.
At Viking, I also appreciated the opportunity to work with Mike Brennan, Nancy Sheppard, Phil Budnick, Fred Huber, and Glenn Timony.
Susan Olinger, a gifted writer who shares my fascination with the ancients, provided expert and imaginative research assistance, and I made good use of research conducted for my earlier books by Adam Kirsch, Andrew Solomon, Leonard Braman and Vera Tobin. Michele Goldman ably assisted in map research and proofing the manuscript and galleys.
I have been supported and encouraged in important ways by family, friends, and colleagues to whom I express my heartfelt appreciation:
Judy Woo and Eui Sook (Angie) Yoon, my cherished friends and colleagues.
Remy Elizabeth Holzer, my daughter-in-law, and her family, Harold, Edith and Meg Holzer.
Candace Barrett Birk and Raye Birk, Maryann Rosenfeld and Shelly Kadish, Pat and Len Solomon.
K. C. Cole, my dear friend and a writer whose work on science has shaped my own work on the history of religion.
Janet Fitch, Diane Leslie, Mary Rakow, Carolyn See and Bernadette Shih, each of whom I admire as a fellow writer and depend on as a dear friend.
Linda Chester and her colleagues at the Linda Chester Agency.
Linda Michaels and Teresa Cavanaugh at Linda Michaels Ltd. International Literary Agents.
Steve Wasserman, Tom Curwen, Nick Owchar, Orli Low, Kristina Lindgren, Sara Lippincott, and Ethel Alexander at the Los Angeles Times Book Review .
Doug Brown, Tom Crouch, Lara Furar and Barbara Morrow and at the Los Angeles Times .
Jan Nathan and Terry Nathan at the Publishers Marketing Association.
Larry Mantle, Kitty Felde, Aimee Machado, Jackie Oclaray, Linda Othenin-Girard and Polly Sveda at KPCC-FM.
Rob Eshman at The Jewish Journal .
Sarah Spitz at KCRW-FM.
Gwen Feldman and Jim Fox at Silman-James Press, and Tony Cohan at Acrobat Books.
Connie Martinson, host of Connie Martinson Talks Books .
Doug Dutton, Lise Friedman and Ed Conklin at Dutton’s Books in Brentwood; Linda Urban at Vroman’s in Pasadena; Stan Madson and Jeanne D’Arcy at the Bodhi Tree in West Hollywood; Lita Weiss-man and Peggy Jackson at Border’s; Michele Yanow at Tree of Life Judaica & Books in Seattle; Abigail Yasgur at the Jewish Community Library in Los Angeles; and Michael Graziano.
Charlie Alexiev, Scott Baker, Lillian Heller Conrad, Jacob Gabay, Inge-Lise DeWolfe, Fred Huffman, Jill Johnson Keeney, Les Klinger, Rae Lewis, Dennis
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