Independent Scholar's Handbook: How to Turn Your Interest in Any Subject into Expertise

Frontcover......Page 1
Dedication......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 11
Contents......Page 8
Prologue: Encounters with four mentors......Page 13
Part One: Starting Out ......Page 20
1. Risk Takers of the Mind ......Page 22
2. From \"Messy Beginnings\" to the Fruits of Research ......Page 39
Step 1: Start Your Own Intellectual Journal ......Page 40
Step 2: Reconnoiter New Realms of Knowledge ......Page 43
Step 3: Enter a New Field ......Page 47
Step 4: Develop Your First Projects ......Page 50
From Seed to Fruit: How an Idea Grows to Become a Product of Research ......Page 54
Eric Hoffer: A Passionate Philosopher ......Page 55
Part Two: The Practice of Independent Scholarship ......Page 62
3. Resources: Where? What? Who? How ......Page 69
Special Library Collections ......Page 74
Interlibrary Loans ......Page 78
Access to Databases ......Page 80
Barbara Tuchman: A Quest for Excellence ......Page 85
4. Working with Others ......Page 90
Corresponding with Colleagues ......Page 91
Your Turn for an Intern ......Page 93
Organizations of Scholars ......Page 94
The Hidden Conference ......Page 96
Mentors ......Page 98
Doing a Delphi ......Page 99
The Intellectual Partnership ......Page 101
Your Own Advisory Committee ......Page 107
Your Own Institute ......Page 109
William Draves: A Scholarly Celebration of Free Universities ......Page 110
5. Intellectual Craftsmanship ......Page 116
Pitfalls in Research ......Page 117
Beyond Traditional Methods ......Page 120
Managing Your Intellectual Projects ......Page 122
Betty Friedan: The Problem That Has No Name ......Page 125
6. Wherewithal ......Page 132
Obtaining a Title or Affiliation ......Page 134
Grants and Awards ......Page 137
Other Sources of Financial Support ......Page 148
John Snyder: Mapping the Earth ......Page 153
Interlude: Encounters along the Way ......Page 157
Part Three: Independent Scholars in Action ......Page 162
Alvin TofHer: A Journey Past Time ......Page 164
Teaching - as Socrates Taught ......Page 170
Publishing Your Work ......Page 175
Nontraditional Products of Scholarship ......Page 180
Intellectual Activism ......Page 183
Hazel Henderson: Alternative Futures ......Page 189
8. \"Play for Mortal Stakes\": The Intellectual Pleasures of Your Work ......Page 195
Savoring the Meaning of Your Work ......Page 196
Five Who Played \"For Mortal Stakes ......Page 197
The Further Reaches ......Page 201
Sabbaticals for \"Practical Scholarship ......Page 204
Buckminsrer Fuller: Exploring the Universe ......Page 208
9. Scholarship as Your joy, if Not Your Job ......Page 214
Leo Miller: The Scholar Outside ......Page 222
10. Interdependence among Independent Scholars ......Page 227
How to Start a Roundtable for Independent Scholars ......Page 243
Reinhold Aman: The Meaning of Abuse ......Page 247
Postscript: Unfinished Business ......Page 251
I: Maxims for the Life of the Mind ......Page 257
II: Specialized Bookstores: Gourmet Shops for Scholars ......Page 259
III: Foundation Funding ......Page 260
IV: Tax Deductions For Independent Scholarship as a Business ......Page 272
V: University Presses in North America ......Page 274
VI: Copyrighting Your Work ......Page 276
VII: The National Coalition of Independent Scholars ......Page 280
VIII: How Independent Scholars Can Organize: Five Case Studies ......Page 281
Notes ......Page 287
Bibliography: A Basic Bookshelf for the Independent Scholar ......Page 292
Index ......Page 306
Backcover......Page 321