Table of Contents
1886 Map of Amherst x
Preface xiii
Introduction One Fine Day in May (1886) 1
Chapter 1 Arriving in Amherst (1856-1881) 9
Chapter 2 Meeting and Courting the Dickinsons (1881-1882) 29
Chapter 3 Soaring Love and Seething Tensions (1883-1894) 53
Chapter 4 Dickinsonian Inspiration: Mabel's Creative Output (1883-1893) 82
Chapter 5 Lingering Puritanism and Millicent's Sensibilities (1884-1897) 92
Chapter 6 Embracing Emily's Poems (1886-1897) 111
Chapter 7 Losing Austin, Finding Mabel (1895-1904) 158
Chapter 8 Suing the "Queen of Amherst" (1897-1898) 176
Chapter 9 Traveling and Travails (1899-1917) 192
Chapter 10 "Sincerely, Joe Thomas" (1918-1919) 210
Chapter 11 Fighting to Define Emily Dickinson (1920-1929) 224
Chapter 12 Bringing Lost Poems to Light (1930-1939) 245
Chapter 13 Dealing with "Dickinsoniana" (1940-1955) 272
Chapter 14 Battling over Emily's Papers (1946-1959) 295
Chapter 15 Seeking Closure and Meaning (1960-1968) 325
Chapter 16 Unpacking the Camphorwood Chest 342
Afterword Sorting through the Clutter 363
Acknowledgments 371
Notes 379
Text Credits 409
Illustration Credits 411
Index 417