Max went to the archives at the Lilly Library to examine the Carver-Lish letters.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

When Carver returned home and read the manuscript, he wrote his forlorn letter to Lish.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

Around the same time, Lish left Esquire, but he soon accepted an invitation to join Knopf.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

At Knopf, Lish signed Carver to a five-thousand-dollar contract for his next collection of stories.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

But most of the stories, including this one, he republished as Lish had edited them.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

Lish had cut the original manuscript by forty per cent, eliminating what he saw as false lyricism and sentiment.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

Lish, a voluble, eccentric, and literary man, began inviting Carver to his place for lunch and to talk about books.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

The public praise also insured that he kept to himself his ambivalence about the way Lish had edited some of the stories.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

In 1967, while working for the textbook publisher Science Research Associates, in Palo Alto, Carver met Lish, who was also working at a textbook publishing house.

NEWYORKER: Rough Crossings

That's why he appreciates the growing number of eateries offering local fare, from Dish D'Lish in Seattle's Sea-Tac airport to Salt Lick BBQ in Austin-Bergstrom International airport.

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