then i went to see this young agent, lynn nesbitt, who was young agent, lynn nesbitt, who was just, i think, setting up. she called and said she read the book and she would like to represent me. could i come in and see her? i went in to see her and she said something very complimentary about the book. lynn always understands the books. and she said, you have to tell me something first. what do you look so worried about? i didn't know i looked worried. but i was. i said i am worried i will not have enough money to finish the book and she said, how much do you need? i don't remember the figure, that i figured i needed two more years. i told her what that figure was and she said, -- and she remembers this the same way -- is that what you are worried about? you can stop worrying right now. i can get you that by picking up the phone. verybody in new york knows about this book. was up in the bronx, i had no idea. that's how i get her. she has been my agent now -- that was 1970, 47 years. i've had the same agent and the same editor for 47 years. brian: i did some calculations. 4,513 pages yo

about lynn nesbitt. robert: that's a good story. was a newspaper reporter and i wanted to do a biography of robert moses as i thought that was a way of examining how real political power works in the cities. because we are in a democracy and we are taught in high school and college that basically the power comes from people casting ballot boxes and people getting elected. but in robert moses, you have a man who was never elected to anything and he had more power than anyone in new york state and new york city that anyone who did. more power than the mayor and governor combined. he held that power for 44 years and i had no idea it, nor did anyone else, how he got that power. so i wanted to do this book, but the only advance i could get was for $5,000. they give you $2500 in advance. so for six months, i tried to work on the book while i was a reporter. but i wasn't getting anywhere. we had no savings. so i quit, i got a grant from the carnegie foundation for a year, and the money for that ran out. we sold the house. we had a house in