I don’t know if anyone else besides the author and the people listed within them ever actually reads them, but I have soft spot for Acknowledgments pages. They are like a little peak behind the scenes, a tiny glimpse into how the book in my hand was created. And sometimes a much needed lull at the end of a novel to help me get over the fact that it’s over.
I was doing just that this morning with Lesley Livingston’s Wondrous Strange, and was struck by the huge number of people Livingston cites as helping bring this novel into being: agents, edits, copy editors, designers, mothers, fathers, friends, someone named John whose identity is not entirely clear, and many more. It made me realize that despite the single name printed down the spine, it takes a lot of help and a lot of support from a lot of people to create book.
From now on, I’m going to start being extra nice to all of them.
I read the acknowledgements for exactly the reason you mention above – I can’t bear that a good book is really over, so I linger on whatever is left – sometimes even the page that describes the type.
Ha ha, you are even worse than me! Although, now that you mention that I am probably going to start reading that one, two. Drat.
Is this a photo of your family or just a generic one?
Interesting question…not my family, but one of my friends. I was the bridesmaid in pink 🙂