ERRATA for the first printing of the Context Books edition of the Culture of Make Believe

A snafu in production meant I did not get to see the copyedited version of this book before it was released. The copyeditor made a ton of changes I did not approve of, and inserted numerous errors. Most of the errors are trivial, such as a radically different use of commas (if you see commas in places you wouldn’t normally expect from me, presume they’re not mine), but a few are significant. Here are my changes. I have not changed all of the comma errors, only most of them. In addition, there were of course several errors that were my responsibility. If you see more errors, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

++ means that the error was corrected in the second printing

*** means that this error is crucial, in that it changes the meaning of my sentence.

++ ix, second paragraph, second line, reads “vowed to avenge those who killed her husband” should read “vowed to avenge her husband”

ix, second line from end, reads “village, before they” should have no commas.

*** x, 3rd paragraph, 5th line, reads “(or, at least, safer, pastures) leaving” should read “(or at least safer) pastures, leaving”

*** x, 3rd paragraph, last line, reads “squads kill, routinely” should read “squads kill most routinely”

x, third line from end, reads “thing? Or are there certain” should read “thing? Are there certain”

xi, last paragraph, reads “My book, A Language Older Than Words, was” should have no commas.

xi, last paragraph, 5th line, reads “great measure because, while” should have no comma

xi, last paragraph, 8th line, reads “rather, at least indirectly, benefited by, whatever” should have no commas

xii, 2nd paragraph, 9th and 10th lines, reads “witnessed, first, her husband’s death, and then” should have no commas

xii, 2nd paragraph, 13th line, reads “that led to it, far more” should have no comma

5, first line, reads “soft, white, underbelly” should read “soft white underbelly”

21, 3rd paragraph, 3rd line, reads “least, to some small degree, I did” should have no commas

22 3rd line from end, reads “How about this? Could a police” should read “How about this: could a police”

23 line that reads “Each of the following died unarmed, unresisting” should read “Each of the following died unresisting”

39, third paragraph, delete the line that rads “In fact it’s possible to to hate him because of who he is.”

42, fourth paragraph, reads “comes from the fact that hatred, felt long enough and deeply enough, no” but it should have no commas in it.

42, final paragraph, reads, “electrified razor wire, followed by still more razor wire” should read “razor wire, then lethal electric fence, then still more razor wire”

47, first line, reads “illegal, according to international rules of warfare, because” should have no commas.

47 1st and 2nd lines, reads “illegal, according to international rules of warfare, because” should have no commas

47, second paragraph, third and fourth lines should not have italics.

49, third paragraph, reads “people who called, or call themselves” should have no comma.

49, third paragraph, reads “because, clearly, it does” should have no commas.

53, third paragraph, reads “but, African people, occurred” should have no commas.

62, fourth paragraph, reads “meaning, this time, that” should have no commas.

63, first line, there should be no comma after razzias

66, first paragraph, reads “perhaps, even, morally” should have no commas.

*** 77, second paragraph, reads “Alexander Pope in glorious all to” should read “Alexander Pope in glorious all caps to”

94, the phrase “doesn’t quite explain the relationship between these atrocities and hate” is repeated. Obviously the second should be cut.

99, 1st line, “awhile” should be “a while”

106, third paragraph, reads “hatred, felt long enough and deeply enough, no” should have no commas.

*** 113, fifth line from end, reads “Each spring the world’s population of Aleutian Geese –smaller cousins to Canadian Geese–stages near Crescent City on their way from their wintering grounds in Central California to the Aleutian Islands, and each spring they stage here on their way back north.” It should read, “Each fall the world’s population of Aleutian Geese –smaller cousins to Canadian Geese–stages near Crescent City on their way to their wintering grounds in Central California from the Aleutian Islands, and each spring they stage here on their way back north.”

115, the reference to “The Empire Strikes Back” should be “The Return of the Jedi”. Oops.

122, reads “three thousand per year involuntarily or coerced sterilizations performed at” should read “three thousand involuntarily or coerced sterilizations performed per year at”

131, about halfway down the page, reads “a long time. Finally he said” should read “a long time. At last he said”

133, third paragraph from the end, the question mark should be a period.

134, reads “do also do we change our souls” should read “so also do we change our souls”

158 eighth line, reads “people were actually savages” the word “were” should be italicized

168, sixth line, “Der Stürming” should be “Der Stürmer” (note that it should be italicized)

168, tenth line, “Hanz” should be “Hans”

177, last line has two quote marks in a row. One should not be there.

*** 179, second paragraph, reads “with only potentially” should read “only with potentially”

189, second paragraph, Facing West: The Metaphysics of Indian-Hating and Empire-Building should be italicized but is not.

189, third paragraph, In Search of the Primitive: A Critique of Civilization should be italicized but is not.

189, third paragraph, “normally unspoken observations” should be “normally unspoken observation” (I think)

207, last paragraph, second line, reads “Played On about” should read “Played On, about”

211, fifth line from the end, reads “But, looking at the pictures, I” should have no commas.

212 third paragraph, first line, “many” should not be italicized.

221, last line, reads “but, in greater measure, because” should have no commas.

222, middle of the page, reads “complicated dances with him in” should read “complicated dances in”

++ 233 THIS IS A HUGE ONE first line, reads “This was not a typical year” should read “This was not an atypical year”

233, halfway down, reads “primarily, that it kills at concentrations of four to ten parts” should have no comma.

235, two-thirds of the way down, reads “science geek that I am, God help me” but god should be lower case.

252 reads “onto the yard; within” but the semicolon should be a comma.

253, third line, cut the word “former”

254, sixth line, “Nazi Low-Riders” should read “Nazi Low Riders”

261, second paragraph, fourteenth line, reads “once again, from what little” should have no comma

265, second paragraph, fifth line, one should not be italicized.

*** 266, fourth line, reads “Extrapolation implies that maybe fourth-four million women in the United States were molested by relatives, with twelve million” should read “Extrapolation implies that maybe twenty-two million women in the United States were molested by relatives, with six million”

267, second paragraph, fourth line, there should not be a comma after L.A.

271, second paragraph, fifth line, cut “in describing what took place,”

283, third line from end, reads “reduce them anymore” should read “reduce them any more”

294, second paragraph, reads “said for slave owners” should read “said for slaveowners”

300, first line, cut “, in class, today”

300, halfway down, reads “gathering, then, finally” should have no commas

300, two more lines down, reads “waited, for five” should have no comma

301 next to last paragraph, reads “More generally, still” should have no comma

309, second paragraph, reads “enough for him use federal” should read “enough for him to use federal”

331, near the end of the second paragraph, reads “the myth-smaking” should read “the myth-making”

339, last paragraph, first line, should have no comma.

340, first line, reads “some people, looking to” should have no comma.

342, fifth line from the top, reads “the word the” should read “the word the” so that the first the is not italicized and the second one is.

344, third paragraph, reads “rely on, as the cornerstone” should have no comma.

359, halfway down, reads “died, two years later, of” should have no commas.

365, last paragraph should be indented, obviously.

371, third paragraph, reads “for slaves influences” should read “for slaves influence”

377, fifth line from the end, reads “yet, in the end, there” should have no commas.

*** 383, seventh line, reads “process, action is unnatural, to the” should read “process, action is inhuman and inhumane to the” note the lack of comma after inhumane

386, second column, third line from end, reads “mani-pulable” should read “manipulable”

388, sixth line from the end, reads “at least, middle classes” should read “at least middle, classes”

389, seventh line, reads “yet, time and again, those” should have no commas.

389, two more lines down, reads “seems that, far more” should have no comma.

389, two more lines down, reads “currently enjoy), is” should have no comma.

390, fourth line, reads “called, the Justice” should have no comma.

391, second paragraph, reads “might be, not the result of activists, but, instead, provacateurs” should have no commas.

395, second line from the end, reads “Or, perhaps, you” should have no commas.

*** 398, second line from the top, reads “those, at least, a” should have no commas.

398, second paragraph, fourth line, “an other” should be “another”

400, last paragraph, “Lee’s army of northern Virginia” should be “Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia”

401, halfway down, reads “this is surprising, in the” should have no comma.

401, last line, reads “though, still useless” should have no comma.

402 last paragraph, fifth line, reads “at best, ignore evidence” should have no comma

410, second paragraph, reads “peoples off their land, and commit genocide” should have no comma

410, third line from end, should have no comma before the quote marks and em dash.

416, last paragraph, reads “legislature, made vague attempts to tax railroad profits, which, to that time, had” should only have a comma after “profits”

421, second paragraph, the commas that come in this paragraph between the word “monopoly” and the word “through” should not be there.

421, second paragraph, reads “farm equipment, through” and there should be no comma.

429, second paragraph from end, third and fourth lines, reads “would see, time and again, in the daily workings of our culture, were” should have no commas

433, first paragraph, reads “Barrels, neither burned nor buried, were” should have no commas.

442 fourth paragraph, reads “But, perhaps, this is going too far. Perhaps, by” should have no commas.

447, third line, reads “or, rather, give orders, so others” should have no commas

457, second line, reads “Wall street” should read “Wall Street”

464, seventh line, the word “effectively” should be italicized

465, fourth line from end, reads “yet, he’s already making” should have no comma

469, second paragraph, “Washing-ton” should be “Washington”

471, fourth line from the end, “stance, not” should have no comma

473, last paragraph, reads “prosecutor, who” should have no comma

477, first line, “militia” should not be italicized

481, first paragraph, “at least, sometimes, less personal” should have no commas

481, last paragraph, “and, I guess, that’s” should have no commas.

484 second line, “McNamara, comparing” should have no comma.

484, “opinions, ranging from” should have no comma.

485, first and second lines, “opinion, except McNamara’s, boring, to” should only have a comma after “boring”

487, first paragraph, “God” should not be capitalized.

487, next to last paragraph, “homes looking, for contraband” should not have a comma.

490, last paragraph, “girl, by the name of Mary Phagan, had” should have no commas.

490, “Jew, from New York, by” should have no commas.

490, “written, about Phagan, in” should have no commas.

493, last line, “Mitchell Palmer had” should read “Mitchell Palmer, had”

494, next to last line, reads “that, what was true” should have no comma.

507, second paragraph, reads “ebony, to subtlest russet, to the” should have no commas.

508, second paragraph, second line, reads “but, instead, had” should have no commas.

513, first paragraph, “meaning that, self-suffiency is feasible, meaning that, human” should have no commas.

513 second paragraph, “system of repression, to the” should have no commas.

513, last paragraph, “and, remember, those” should have no comma after “and”

518, last paragraph, “mantrap—A more” should read “mantrap—a more”

519, last paragraph, “called, by most, Steve, had” should only have a comma after “Steve”

*** 522 next to last paragraph, reads “where she had witnessed what had happened and” should read “where she bore witness to what had happened and”

523, second paragraph, “at least, for the inclusion” should have no comma.

523 last paragraph, “finite planet, all economic” should have no comma.

523 last paragraph, ” because, within our culture” should have no comma.

523 last paragraph, “successful than normal, exploiting” should read “successful than normal at exploiting”

525, second paragraph, reads “attempted to be” should read “attempt to be”

551, first paragraph, reads “revealing that, within the larger” should have no comma.

554, first sentence, reads “When I was, maybe, thirteen, I” should read “When I was maybe thirteen,”

559, second paragraph, reads “yet, less often” should have no comma.

569, third paragraph, reads “were locked, behind” should have no comma.

569, third paragraph, reads “and, at last” should have no comma.

574, third paragraph, “Maxaam” should be “MAXXAM” with all caps and spelled correctly.

575, “Maxxam” should be “MAXXAM”

575, “Valco” should be “VALCO”

576, second line, reads “this is to not to speak” should read “this is not to speak”

585, second paragraph, reads “It was, partly, for the network, in general, and, partly, for” should read “It was partly for the network in general, and partly for”

588, second line, reads “imperial powers, the Soviet” the comma should be a colon

588, last paragraph, reads, “but, not only did the Nazis” should not have a comma.

589, first paragraph, third line from end, reads “And, Hitler would not” should have no comma

592, second paragraph, reads “or, at least, everything” should have no commas

593, fourth paragraph, reads “postmodern holocausts will be, at most, barely” should have no commas

593, same line, reads “at, at least, a price” should have no commas

593, same paragraph, reads “—and, as when” should have no comma.

594, fourth line, reads “Perhaps, the” should have no comma.

595, fourth line, reads “third group, who might” should have no comma.

595, third paragraph, reads “group three, already” should have no comma.

597, second line, reads “And, this I” should have no comma

600, third line from end, reads “as, each night, when” should have no commas.

601, third line, reads “now, still” should have no commas

601, third line, reads “again, outside, and” should have no commas.

603, second paragraph, reads “Maybe that seems absurd, to you. It doesn’t, to” should have no commas.

603, last paragraph, fourth line, reads “and, perhaps, most” should have no commas

604, third line, reads “Sometimes, they even” should have no commas

608, second paragraph, reads, “of the old ones.” Should read “of the old ones; to MaryAlecia Briggs, for her intelligence and compassion; and to my supervisor and students, for their courage in difficult circumstances.”