From: "Roy C. Lackey" <rclackey@stic.net>
Subject: (urth) PEACE: "facts"
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 01:24:49 

For background about what mantis and I have been struggling with, and for
those who may be interested, and/or want to make a stab at establishing
their own timeline for PEACE, here is a collection of "facts" from the text
which must be incorporated. Page numbers are for the Berkley paperback.

YEH is mantis's shorthand for Year of the Egg Hunt; Golden Year refers to
the year of the Gold Hunt with Lois, and of Den's dealings with the Gold
family.

************************
Solid facts regarding dates and ages:

Den was 5 when deerskin painted and Bobby Black injured. (4,72)

Bobby Black died 4 years after injury, in YEH, and Den's parents went to
Europe about June; Den went to live with Olivia. (72,39)

Den was 9 in YEH. (72)

Den was president by age 50, but was not at 40. (201)

Sherry was 16 in Golden Year. (202)

WWI was over before YEH (Jan's brother in Tilly tale). (143)

Den saw toy soldiers at Macafee's store dating to WWI in YEH. (67)

Den was 60+ at time of Dan French/reporter tour. (233)

1928 Gold leaves Breslau. (197)

1938 coldhouse prank. (230)

1963-64 circa, Crazy Pete on island. (Based on "The Changeling")

----------------

Less solid facts:

I have established (at least to my satisfaction) from various clues that Den
could not have been born before 1910 (toy soldiers in YEH), or later than
1920 (Depression in future of YEH).

Den made his astral visit (AV) to Dr. Black to a time when he was 4. There
he saw a "Liberty" magazine, which began publishing in 1920. (153)

Den was two years out of college in 1938. (233)

Den could not have met Lois and the Golds before 1953 (1928 + Louis met
Sally 25 years before Golden Year). (214)

Deerskin painted "about" 40 years before Golden Year. (164)

Olivia died 25 years before Golden Year. (158)

Den owned Macafee's store "about" 40 years after YEH. (56)

Den, while president, started to tell Tilly tale to Bill Batton "thirty-five
or forty years" after YEH. (135)

Den, age 9-11, searched for arrowheads with Vi and Peacock "30 years or a
bit more" before Golden Year. (190)

Dan French presented Den a gift for Den's 50th birthday. (79)

Mrs. Helen Birkhead Tyler died the same day as the Dan French/reporter tour.
(243)

---------------

Fuzzy facts:

Den was "twenty-five or so" in his Chinese Garden dream. (65)

At time of astral visit (AV) to Dr. Van Ness: Crazy Pete was on island (46);
Den had been president for less than a year (stopped carrying knife "months
ago" (12); Den had a large garden (15) (implying a large house, which
implies that the house he is living in at time of AV could not be the
museum-roomed house [and which Wolfe is reported to have denied existed in
the first place] he was reviewing the plans for, while he was still living
in his old apartment yet obviously was then president (35-36), because such
a house could not have been built in the time available).

Bill Batton, Charlie Turner, and Eleanor Bold Porter visits all happened on
the same day (193) (which means that Den could be no more than 49, per
Batton above).

Den would have to be 40-45 years old at time of AV to Dr. V, based on the
doctor's judgements (14), which conflicts with several of the above "facts"
(Den too young to be president at that age). This suggests that more than
one AV to Dr. V is being conflated.
********************

Roy



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