Let’s go behind the scenes. Here’s how the sausage gets made. A month ago, after encountering the earth-shattering accusation that the 19th century official Bao Shichen had exaggerated the cargo-carrying capacity of ocean-going junks, I went to the library and borrowed William Rowe’s biography of Bao. In a footnote, Rowe referenced James Polachek’s
Cool commentary on a cool footnote. I've been a hardcore Caroline Polachek fan since lockdown days (she was definitely on my 2021 Spotify Wrapped). Never heard of James till I saw the reference in your Bao Shichen article but immediately wondered if he was any relation and flagged the question for further research. And now you've done the research. Thank you!
Jim Polachek actually left academia a good while before The Inner Opium War was published. It stood as a monumental dissertation known to all in his field until, if memory serves, Susan Naquin gave Jim the multiple nudges he needed and shepherded the dissertation through revision and publication as a book. Meanwhile, I only came to know about Caroline Polachek this past weekend when a good friend on Cape Cod who had been classmates with Jim as undergraduates at Harvard told me about her. I guess I had missed the NYer article, and my finger is not exactly on the pulse when it comes to popular music.
Cool commentary on a cool footnote. I've been a hardcore Caroline Polachek fan since lockdown days (she was definitely on my 2021 Spotify Wrapped). Never heard of James till I saw the reference in your Bao Shichen article but immediately wondered if he was any relation and flagged the question for further research. And now you've done the research. Thank you!
But inquiring minds want to know: DID Bao Shichen exaggerate the capacity of seagoing junks?
Jim Polachek actually left academia a good while before The Inner Opium War was published. It stood as a monumental dissertation known to all in his field until, if memory serves, Susan Naquin gave Jim the multiple nudges he needed and shepherded the dissertation through revision and publication as a book. Meanwhile, I only came to know about Caroline Polachek this past weekend when a good friend on Cape Cod who had been classmates with Jim as undergraduates at Harvard told me about her. I guess I had missed the NYer article, and my finger is not exactly on the pulse when it comes to popular music.
Good heavens. What wonderful connections.