David,
I share your frustration. your explanations of the hoops and hurdles you went through to get your book published were chilling. whenever I talk to someone who is curious about Titanic, I always bring up your book as one of the very best in the area of modern research.
Randy,
I didn't mean to suggest that the letter is not fraudulent. goodness knows, there are enough scam artists out there in all walks of life. like you, I will defer to those much more knowledgeable than myself on this issue.
I prefer to believe, until proven otherwise, that authors are genuine in their efforts. I have never met Pellegrino, he could be crooked as they come, or honest as the day is long. my take on the man, from reading his books, is that his enthusiasm outweighs his good sense. he is strong in getting very fired up about what he is writing, but doesn't have the patience to go back, double-check his facts and document all his assertions. it makes for a lot of unnecessary mistakes. your corrections about the Duff Gordons really brought this point home to me.
all the best, Michael (TheManInBlack) T