Extra credits (in books)

A really nice guy I used to work with at the Mutual Broadcasting System wrote a book called "Tape: A Radio News Handbook," which was used as a textbook in some college broadcasting programs despite being written in plain English by an actual working newscaster. During the years I knew him, his publisher induced him to write a new edition of the book, and he asked me to review a copy of the manuscript and make suggestions. Now, Samuel Johnson told his Boswell of a college professor who gave this advice to write well: go over what you have written, find the part of which you are proudest, and take it out. In this case, I urged my friend to remove my favorite part of his book. It told how to disable the phone in a phone booth so no one can use it but you. The idea was to ensure access to a phone when a dozen reporters rush out of a courtroom trying to file stories at the same time. This was before cell phones. I was afraid the telephone company would sue him over something like that, and suggested he take it out. He did, and put me in the credits for the book. It was the first time my name had appeared in a book. The second time just happened, in Jill Engledow's "Island Life 101," subtitled, "A Newcomer's Guide to Hawaii." Engledow, a Maui resident who first came to Hawaii when she was 13, seeks to tell Hawaii's stories from all the key points of view. She asked permission to mention a thesis I propounded in a Pacific Business News column, itself based on an earlier speech, suggesting that the Big Five corporations of Hawaii, which once controlled life in the state, had been replaced by five new power centers: the banks, the unions, the military, environmentalists, and Native Hawaiian activists. It's all on page 62, where Jill also accuses me of being "an astute observer." I deny being guilty of this more than some of the time but it's for no want of trying. The book, which has been out for about a month, is published by Maui Island Press. As for "Tape: A Radio News Handbook," I think it's time for my friend to work on a digital editing handbook.