I think that is what makes this biography so compelling. It may not answer every question, in fact it begs one to ask many more. I agree with you Rose, there are plenty of allusions to the character of Dr. Brown, by many of the people who knew him. It is also evident in the way he handled himself aboard the Caroline "expidition" and his humbleness demonstrated in many other chapters.Rose wrote: Paul, I believe you have done the very best you possibly can with the information you have been given, and as far as I'm concerned it's just fine. Perhaps it is the very size of the book that make the personal details appear to be sparse, but they are there and I feel that I do know this man. He traveled with peanut butter for emergency food, enjoyed sunbathing in the nude, was a night owl, adored his daughter, and let his wife call the shots when she felt it was really, really important. All of that tells me that he was a practical, freethinker who strove to get the most out of every day, but put his family first when push came to shove.
And in return we know that he inspired tremendous loyalty and affection from Twigsnapper and Morgan. That says a lot about a man's character.
rose
The book says what needs to be said about the character of the man, and presents the mysteries of his work without the need to understand all of his patents. Ms. Brown, Messrs. Morgan and Twigsnapper have made it evident that Dr. Brown was a good friend and well respected. Go with what you have Paul, and let the critics do their job. It was certainly a challenge for you to write about a man that was such an enigma, but I feel you have done an excellent job. Now clean up the typos and get copy editing done, so we can all come to your book signing!