Bruce Kraig's planned "hot dog" book--(clarification)

Gerald Cohen gcohen at UMR.EDU
Sat Oct 11 15:41:12 UTC 2003


    I've recently been in touch with Bruce Kraig concerning our mutual
interest in hot dogs (study, not eating; I ate a hot dog only once in
my life, and it made me sick.)
    An advertisement for Kraig's book makes a gaffe: implying that
Kraig believes in the thoroughly discredited Polo Grounds/TAD/Harry
Stevens origin of the term.
The advertisement also gives the incorrect impression that the
publication of the book is imminent. Actually, the publication date
is uncertain.
    Advertisers evidently march to a different drummer than scholars.
With eyebrows being raised in several private e-mails, I asked Kraig
for permission (granted) to clarify the matter to ads-l.
    Below my signoff is the entry for Kraig's book as I will present
it in a "hot dog" bibliography  (working paper) to appear within a
few months. It's part of a planned book on "hot dog" which will list
Barry Popik, David Shulman and me as its authors, although I assume
sole responsibility for any errors or other shortcomings it may
contain.

Gerald Cohen
P.S. Kraig also clarified to me that he gives all due credit to Barry
Popik for Barry's important work on "hot dog."


[from: draft of "A Compiled Bibliography on "Hot Dog."]:

Kraig, Bruce (forthcoming; date of publication still uncertain). Man
Bites Dog. Verve Press. -- An advertisement for the book
incorrectly gives the impression that Kraig supports the Polo
Grounds/TAD/Harry Stevens origin of hot dog. He does not. The book,
when it appears, will be a commentary on the social and cultural
history of hot dogs, hot dog stands, and related themes--rather than
a comprehensive history of the hot dog. A good dose of hot-dog
history will be included though. My thanks to Bruce Kraig for this
clarification.



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