woodcreeper: …others of its genus, the plain-brown woodcreeper (Dendrocincla fuliginosa), of Honduras to northeastern Argentina, often follows marching ant columns, eating the insects and other creatures routed out by the ants. See also scythebill.

Urticaceae: Major genera and species: …wood nettles (Laportea), and the Australian stinging trees (Dendrocnide). Stinging nettle is common in herbal medicine, and its young leaves can be cooked and eaten as a nutritious potherb.

woodcreeper: A typical form is the barred woodcreeper (Dendrocolaptes certhia), of southern Mexico to northern Brazil; it is 28 cm (11 inches) long, is heavy-billed, and has scalloped black markings. Xiphorhynchus woodcreepers, such as the ivory-billed woodcreeper (X. flavigaster) of Central America, are among the more prominently streaked woodcreepers. Like others…

Dendrocolaptidae, songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of a number of brownish birds of the forest or brushland and found from Mexico through South America. Representative members are the scythebill and the woodcreeper

woodcreeper, any of about 50 species of tropical American birds constituting the subfamily Dendrocolaptinae, family Furnariidae, order Passeriformes. Some authorities classify the birds as a separate family (Dendrocolaptidae). Woodcreepers work their way up the trunks of trees, probing the bark and

woodpecker: …of temperate North America; the great spotted woodpecker (D. major), about 23 cm (9 inches) long and found from the forests and gardens of western temperate Eurasia south to North Africa; and the hairy woodpecker (D. villosus), which is 20–25 cm (8–9.8 inches) long and found in temperate North America.

woodpecker: …species of Dendrocopos include the downy woodpecker (D. pubescens), only about 15 cm (6 inches) long and inhabiting the woodlands and gardens of temperate North America; the great spotted woodpecker (D. major), about 23 cm (9 inches) long and found from the forests and gardens of western temperate Eurasia south…

woodpecker: …to North Africa; and the hairy woodpecker (D. villosus), which is 20–25 cm (8–9.8 inches) long and found in temperate North America.

whistling duck, (genus Dendrocygna), any of eight species of long-legged and long-necked ducks that utter sibilant cries and may make whirring wing sounds in flight; these distinctive ducks are separated from other members of the family Anatidae (order Anseriformes) as a tribe Dendrocygnini.

whistling duck: …of the tribe is the fulvous tree duck (Dendrocygna bicolor), with isolated populations in North and South America, India, and Africa—a most unusual world distribution and, remarkably, without geographic variation. It is mallard-sized, with a rusty brown body, a white rump, and creamy stripes on the flanks.

anseriform: Annotated classification: Subfamily Dendrocygninae (whistling ducks) 9 species in 2 genera widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics. Whistling voice. Relatively long-legged, with upright stance. Enclosed bony eye socket. Strongly patterned adult plumage; downy young with light stripe below eyes and around nape. Mature at one year. Mutual…

Oceanic art and architecture: The southeast: …of monument was created: the dendroglyph, an engraving on a living tree trunk. Carved in the usual geometric style, dendroglyphs featured clan designs or made references to local myths. They were used to mark the graves of notable men or to indicate the perimeters of ceremonial grounds.

phylogenetic tree, a diagram showing the evolutionary interrelations of a group of organisms derived from a common ancestral form. The ancestor is in the tree “trunk”; organisms that have arisen from it are placed at the ends of tree “branches.” The distance of one group from the other groups

hyrax: The tree hyraxes (Dendrohyrax) are arboreal, solitary, and nocturnal. All are primarily vegetarian.

wood warbler: Dendroica is the largest genus of wood warblers; this chiefly North American genus has 27 species, most of which have contrasting plumage, such as the black, white, and yellow of the myrtle warbler (D. coronata). A common but less-striking species is the blackpoll warbler (D.…

wood warbler: …white, and yellow of the myrtle warbler (D. coronata). A common but less-striking species is the blackpoll warbler (D. striata). Some authors merge Dendroica in Vermivora, a less-colourful genus of 11 species, most of them well known in the United States.

Kirtland’s warbler, (Setophaga kirtlandii), energetic migratory songbird of the wood warbler family whose summer range is limited to Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, and whose winter range includes the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, and Cuba. The Kirtland’s warbler is one of North

wood warbler: Best known is the yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia), sometimes miscalled the wild canary, which breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland to the West Indies, Peru, and the Galapagos Islands; it is 13 cm (5 inches) long, and the males have faintly red-streaked underparts. Dendroica is the largest genus of wood…

blackpoll warbler, species of woodwarbler

dendrology, study of the characteristics of trees, shrubs, lianas, and other woody plants. Dendrology is generally considered to be a branch of systematic botany or forestry and is primarily concerned with the taxonomy of woody species. Historically, dendrology also encompassed the natural history

tree poppy: The related island tree poppy (Dendromecon harfordii), endemic to the Channel Islands off the southern California coast, reaches a height of 6 metres (20 feet). Tree poppies are hardy as ornamentals only in areas with mild winters.

tree poppy, (Dendromecon rigida), shrub or small tree of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), native to chaparral areas of southern California and northwestern Mexico. The related island tree poppy (Dendromecon harfordii), endemic to the Channel Islands off the southern California coast, reaches a

nudibranch: …cold northern seas is the bushy-backed sea slug (Dendronotus frondosus), named for its stalked, lacy cerata. Occurring worldwide in warm seas are the blue sea slug (Glaucus marina, or G. atlanticus) and the doridacean nudibranchs such as Doris and Glossodoris. See gastropod.

Araliaceae: …several species, especially that of Dendropanax arboreum and several members of the genus Didymopanax, provides timber.

primate: Miocene: …number of other genera (Limnopithecus, Dendropithecus, Afropithecus, Kamoypithecus, and others) have been added to the family. The location of the actual ancestors of living hominoids remained mysterious until previously known specimens from the Moroto District, in eastern Uganda, were reexamined and fresh material was discovered. In 1997 the description of…

Northwest Territories: Population composition: …territorial population and include the Dene and the Métis. Concentrated in the Mackenzie valley area, the Dene belong to several tribes, all part of the Athabaskan language family. Tribal organization was never strong among the Dene, and small bands led by individuals chosen for their skill in the hunt were…

Slave, group of Athabaskan-speaking Indians of Canada, originally inhabiting the western shores of the Great Slave Lake, the basins of the Mackenzie and Liard rivers, and other neighbouring riverine and forest areas. Their name, Awokanak, or Slave, was given them by the Cree, who plundered and

Deneb, one of the brightest stars, with an apparent magnitude of 1.25. This star, at about 1,500 light-years’ distance, is the most remote (and brightest intrinsically) of the 20 apparently brightest stars. It lies in the northern constellation Cygnus and, with Vega and Altair, forms the prominent

Capricorn: Its stars are faint; Deneb Algedi (Arabic for “kid’s tail”) is the brightest star, with a magnitude of 2.9. Capricornus usually refers to the constellation, and Capricorn usually refers to the astrological sign.

Richard Tauber was an Austrian-born British tenor celebrated for his work in opera and, especially, operetta. Tauber was studying voice at Freiberg, Ger., at the time of his highly successful operatic debut, as Tamino in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) at the Chemnitz

Catherine Deneuve is a French actress noted for her archetypal Gallic beauty as well as for her roles in films by some of the world’s greatest directors. Deneuve was the third of four daughters born to the French actors Maurice Dorléac and Renée Deneuve. She landed a small role in the 1957 film Les

nuclear weapon: China: …Academy, under the direction of Deng Jiaxian, was ordered to shift to thermonuclear work. Facilities were constructed to produce lithium-6 deuteride and other required components. By the end of 1965 the theoretical work for a multistage bomb had been completed, and manufacture of the test device was finished by the…

Deng Xiaoping was the most powerful figure in the People’s Republic of China from the late 1970s until his death in 1997. He abandoned many orthodox communist doctrines and attempted to incorporate elements of the free-enterprise system and other reforms into the Chinese economy. Deng was the son

Deng Yaping is a Chinese table tennis player, who won six world championships and four Olympic championships between 1989 and 1997. She is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Deng began playing table tennis at age five, and four years later she won her provincial

Deng Yingchao was a Chinese politician, a revolutionary hard-liner who became a high-ranking official of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the death of her husband, Premier Zhou Enlai, in 1976. Deng’s involvement in political and social causes began in her youth. She joined the movement to

coin: Russia and the Balkans: …kopecks and their halves (dengi) of Mongolian derivation. Ivan IV (1547–84) standardized the types of the dengi as “Tsar and Grand Prince of All Russia,” showing a uniform design of a mounted lancer. From the 15th to the 17th century unstable social and economic conditions were reflected in clipping…

Japanese performing arts: Formative period: …as court entertainment and called dengaku (“field music”).

coin: Russia and the Balkans: …kopecks and their halves (dengi) of Mongolian derivation. Ivan IV (1547–84) standardized the types of the dengi as “Tsar and Grand Prince of All Russia,” showing a uniform design of a mounted lancer. From the 15th to the 17th century unstable social and economic conditions were reflected in clipping…

dengue, acute infectious mosquito-borne fever that is temporarily incapacitating but rarely fatal. Besides fever, the disease is characterized by an extreme pain in and stiffness of the joints (hence the name “breakbone fever”). Complication of dengue fever can give rise to a more severe form,

dengue, acute infectious mosquito-borne fever that is temporarily incapacitating but rarely fatal. Besides fever, the disease is characterized by an extreme pain in and stiffness of the joints (hence the name “breakbone fever”). Complication of dengue fever can give rise to a more severe form,

dengue: …a more severe form, called dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which is characterized by hemorrhaging blood vessels and thus bleeding from the nose, mouth, and internal tissues. Untreated DHF may result in blood vessel collapse, causing a usually fatal condition known as dengue shock syndrome. Dengue is caused by one of…

dengue: …usually fatal condition known as dengue shock syndrome. Dengue is caused by one of four viral serotypes (closely related viruses), designated DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. These serotypes are members of the Flavivirus genus, which also contains the viruses that cause yellow fever, and can occur in any country where…

dengue: Diagnosis and treatment: Research on a dengue vaccine began in the 1940s but was challenged in particular by the need to protect against all four dengue serotypes. The first vaccine to be approved against the disease was CYD-TDV (Dengvaxia), which was made available in 2015 for use in individuals who reside…

Saichō was a monk who established the Tendai sect of Buddhism in Japan. A priest at the age of 13, Saichō was sent to China to study in 804 and returned with the highly eclectic Tendai (T’ien-t’ai in Chinese) teachings. Unlike other Buddhist sects then in existence in Japan, the Tendai sect taught

South Bucks: Denham, in the northeastern part of the district, is its administrative centre.

Dixon Denham was an English soldier who became one of the early explorers of western Africa. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars, Denham volunteered in 1821 to join Walter Oudney and Lieutenant Hugh Clapperton on an official expedition across the Sahara to Bornu (now in northeastern Nigeria), in

Sir James Steuart Denham, 4th Baronet was a Scottish economist who was the leading expositor of mercantilist views. Denham was educated at the University of Edinburgh (1724–25). In the course of continental travels following his qualification as a lawyer (1735), he became embroiled in the Jacobite

Sir John Denham was a poet who established as a new English genre the leisurely meditative poem describing a particular landscape. Educated at the University of Oxford, Denham was admitted to the bar, but he was already actively writing. He had translated six books of the Aeneid, parts of which

denial, in military affairs, a defensive strategy used to make it prohibitively difficult for an opponent to achieve a military objective. A denial strategy can be best defined by distinguishing it from a deterrence strategy. In the latter a protagonist’s threatened reprisal, by changing the

history of logic: Categorical forms: ” Universal negative: “Every β is not an α,” or equivalently “No β is an α.” Particular affirmative: “Some β is an α.” Particular negative: “Some β is not an α.” Indefinite affirmative: “β is an α.” Indefinite negative: “β is not an α.” Singular

defense mechanism: Denial is the conscious refusal to perceive that painful facts exist. For example, in denying the reality of a loved one’s terminal diagnosis, an individual can escape intolerable thoughts, feelings, or events. 7. Rationalization is the substitution of a safe and reasonable explanation for the…

Rachel Weisz: … (2015), and the biographical drama Denial (2016). In Disobedience (2017) Weisz played a single woman who rekindles a forbidden romance with her childhood friend (portrayed by Rachel McAdams) when she returns home to mourn the death of her father, a powerful Orthodox rabbi. She then starred alongside Emma Stone in…

denial of service attack (DoS attack), type of cybercrime in which an Internet site is made unavailable, typically by using multiple computers to repeatedly make requests that tie up the site and prevent it from responding to requests from legitimate users. The first documented DoS-style attack

applied logic: Formal fallacies: Among the best known are denying the antecedent (“If A, then B; not-A; therefore, not-B”) and affirming the consequent (“If A, then B; B; therefore, A”). The invalid nature of these fallacies is illustrated in the following examples:

Herman Bang: …and De uden faedreland (1906; Denied a Country). The work he did from 1886 to 1890—including a collection of short stories, Stille existenser (1886; “Quiet Existences”), and the novels Stuk (1887; “Stucco”) and Tine (1889)—is considered to be his best. Bang died while on a lecture tour of the United…

coin: Charlemagne and the Carolingian coinages: …gold by silver, introducing the denier, which was to be the basis of all medieval coinage in the north. His new coin was wider and thinner than previous silver pieces. The normal types were simple—obverse R P (for Rex Pepinus), reverse R F (for Rex Francorum).

textile: Denier system: The denier system is a direct-management type, employed internationally to measure the size of silk and synthetic filaments and yarns, and derived from an earlier system for measuring silk filaments (based on the weight in drams of 1,000 yards). Denier number indicates the…

Anton Ivanovich Denikin was a general who led the anti-Bolshevik (“White”) forces on the southern front during the Russian Civil War (1918–20). A professional in the Imperial Russian Army, Denikin served in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–05) and in World War I (1914–16). After the February Revolution

Deniliquin, chief town of the fertile southern Riverina region, south-central New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Edward River (a branch of the Murray), 22 miles (35 km) from the Victoria border. It was established in 1845 by entrepreneur Benjamin Boyd as a personal holding and was made a

denim, durable twill-woven fabric with coloured (usually blue) warp and white filling threads; it is also woven in coloured stripes. The name is said to have originated in the French serge de Nîmes. Denim is yarn-dyed and mill-finished and is usually all-cotton, although considerable quantities are

jeans, trousers originally designed in the United States by Levi Strauss in the mid-19th century as durable work clothes, with the seams and other points of stress reinforced with small copper rivets. They were eventually adopted by workingmen throughout the United States and then worldwide. Jeans

Dinis was the sixth king of Portugal (1279–1325), who strengthened the kingdom by improving the economy and reducing the power of the nobility and the church. The son of Afonso III, Dinis was educated at a court subject to both French and Castilian cultural influences and became a competent poet.

Dionysius Exiguus was a celebrated 6th-century canonist who is considered the inventor of the Christian calendar, the use of which spread through the employment of his new Easter tables. The 6th-century historian Cassiodorus calls him a monk, but tradition refers to him as an abbot. He arrived in

Godefroy Family: Denis I Godefroy, called Denis the Old (1549–1621), was a Protestant who for that reason lived in exile in Switzerland and Germany. His Corpus juris civilis (1583) had a long life, going through 20 editions. His son Théodore (1580–1649) abjured Protestantism and lived in France,…

Godefroy Family: Denis II Godefroy, called Denis the Young (1615–81), son of Théodore, was also a historian and archivist. Denis III (1653–1719), son of Denis II, was keeper of the books at the Chambre des Comptes, the central financial administration, in Paris. Jean Godefroy, sieur d’Aumont (1656–1732),…

blood group: Historical background: Meanwhile, in France, Jean-Baptiste Denis, court physician to King Louis XIV, had also been transfusing lambs’ blood into human subjects and described what is probably the first recorded account of the signs and symptoms of a hemolytic transfusion reaction. Denis was arrested after a fatality, and the procedure…

Julio Cortázar was an Argentine novelist and short-story writer who combined existential questioning with experimental writing techniques in his works. Cortázar was the son of Argentine parents and was educated in Argentina, where he taught secondary school and worked as a translator. Bestiario

Maurice Denis was a French painter, one of the leading artists and theoreticians of the Symbolist movement. Denis studied at the Académie Julian (1888) under Jules Lefebvre and at the École des Beaux-Arts. Reacting against the naturalistic tendencies of Impressionism, Denis fell under the influence

St. Denis ; feast day: Western church, October 9; Eastern church, October 3) was allegedly the first bishop of Paris and an early Christian martyr. He is a patron saint of France and Paris and is also invoked by people suffering from headache. St. Denis is also venerated as one of the 14 Holy

seahorse: …of the smallest species—such as Denise’s pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus denise), found in the tropical western Pacific from Indonesia to Vanuatu, and Satomi’s pygmy seahorse (H. satomiae), found in the tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans from the Bay of Bengal to the Coral Sea—are less than 2 cm long. The largest…

Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts, dance school and company founded in 1915 by Ruth St. Denis and her husband, Ted Shawn. Considered a fountainhead of American modern dance, the Denishawn organization systematically promoted nonballetic dance movement and fostered such leading modern

Denison, city, Grayson county, north-central Texas, U.S., situated near the Oklahoma border and 73 miles (117 km) north of Dallas. The city of Sherman lies to the south and Lake Texoma, impounded on the Red River by Denison Dam, to the northwest. Originally a stop on the Southern Overland Mail

Red River: Denison Dam (1944), 726 miles (1,168 km) above the river’s mouth, forms Lake Texoma. Many reservoirs have been built on tributaries of the Red River in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana as part of a flood-control and river-development program.

Denison University, private, coeducational institution of higher learning in Granville, Ohio, U.S., about 30 miles (50 km) east of Columbus. It offers an undergraduate curriculum in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and fine arts. Many students participate in off-campus study programs such

Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe was an English lawyer and horologist notorious in his day for his disputatious demeanour but now better remembered as the designer of the highly accurate regulator incorporated in the clock in Elizabeth Tower (formerly St. Stephen’s Tower) of the British Houses

copperhead: The Australian copperhead (Denisonia superba), a venomous snake of the cobra family (Elapidae) found in Tasmania and along the southern Australian coasts, averages 1.5 metres long. It is usually coppery or reddish brown. It is dangerous but is unaggressive when left alone. The copperhead of India…

Denisova Cave, site of paleoanthropological excavations in the Anui River valley roughly 60 miles (100 km) south of Biysk in the Altai Mountains of Russia. The cave contains more than 20 layers of excavated artifacts, indicating occupation by hominins as long ago as 280,000 years before the present

Denisovan, member of a group of archaic humans who emerged about 370,000 years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch in Eurasia, spreading throughout eastern and southern Asia and parts of Melanesia before disappearing sometime after about 30,000 years ago. The Denisovans are named for the location

nitrogen cycle: …nitrogen assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.

denitrifying bacteria, microorganisms whose action results in the conversion of nitrates in soil to free atmospheric nitrogen, thus depleting soil fertility and reducing agricultural productivity. Thiobacillus denitrificans, Micrococcus denitrificans, and some species of Serratia, Pseudomonas, and

Denizli, city, southwestern Turkey. It lies near a tributary of the Menderes River. Set among the gardens at the foot of Mount Gökbel (7,572 feet [2,308 metres]), Denizli inherited the economic position of ancient Laodicea ad Lycum, 4 miles (6 km) away, when that town was deserted during wars

Dēnkart, 9th-century encyclopaedia of the Zoroastrian religious tradition. Of the original nine volumes, part of the third and all of volumes four through nine are extant. The surviving portion of the third book is a major source of Zoroastrian theology. It indicates that later Zoroastrianism had

shaduf, hand-operated device for lifting water, invented in ancient times and still used in India, Egypt, and some other countries to irrigate land. Typically it consists of a long, tapering, nearly horizontal pole mounted like a seesaw. A skin or bucket is hung on a rope from the long end, and a

Bernhard, prince von Bülow: Memoirs, 4 vol., 1931–32), represented an attempt by Bülow to exonerate himself from any blame for the war and for Germany’s collapse; in fact, they reflect his blindness to his own limitations as a statesman.

Denkyera, major 17th-century kingdom of the southern Akan peoples, situated in the forested hinterland of modern Ghana’s southwestern coast. According to tradition, its kings migrated from the area of the northern Akan or Brong. By the end of the 17th century they had subjugated the Twifo and the

Denkyera, major 17th-century kingdom of the southern Akan peoples, situated in the forested hinterland of modern Ghana’s southwestern coast. According to tradition, its kings migrated from the area of the northern Akan or Brong. By the end of the 17th century they had subjugated the Twifo and the

Denmark, country occupying the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland), which extends northward from the center of continental western Europe, and an archipelago of more than 400 islands to the east of the peninsula. Jutland makes up more than two-thirds of the country’s total land area; at its northern tip

Denmark Strait, channel partially within the Arctic Circle, lying between Greenland (west) and Iceland (east). About 180 miles (290 km) wide at its narrowest point, the strait extends southward for 300 miles (483 km) from the Greenland Sea to the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. The cold

ProCon Debates: Is Human Activity Primarily Responsible for Global Climate Change?; Should Humans Consume Dairy Milk? ProCon Issues in the News: Denmark is home to five times as many pigs and cows as people, and agricultural pursuits consume almost 66 percent of the country’s land. Thus, farming

ProCon Debates: Should Zoos Exist? ProCon Issue in the News: Aalborg Zoo in Denmark has what some view as a macabre request: to send in horses, small pets, and livestock near death to feed to the zoo’s animals. An English translation of the zoo’s July 31, 2025, Facebook post reads: The post

Denmark’s Aquarium, largest aquarium in Denmark, located in Charlottenlund, outside of Copenhagen. It is noted for its collection of unusual fishes. Included among the more than 3,000 specimens of nearly 200 species of marine and freshwater fishes are lungfish, blind cave fish, mudskippers, and the

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Denmark, the established, state-supported church in Denmark. Lutheranism was established in Denmark during the Protestant Reformation. Christianity was introduced to Denmark in the 9th century by St. Ansgar, bishop of Hamburg. In the 10th century, King Harald

national flag consisting of a red field with an off-centre white cross. The width-to-length ratio of the flag is 28 to 34 (14 to 17), but the length may be extended until the ratio is 28 to 37. According to tradition, the Danish flag fell from heaven on June 15, 1219, during the Battle of

history of Denmark, a survey of important events and people in the history of Denmark from prehistoric times to the present. Occupying the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland), which extends northward from the center of continental western Europe, and an archipelago of more than 400 islands to the east

Denmark, country occupying the peninsula of Jutland (Jylland), which extends northward from the center of continental western Europe, and an archipelago of more than 400 islands to the east of the peninsula. Jutland makes up more than two-thirds of the country’s total land area; at its northern tip

Copenhagen: The contemporary city: These include the Technical University of Denmark (1829), the Engineering Academy of Denmark (1957), the Royal Danish Academy of Music (1867), the Royal Veterinary and Agricultural College (1856), and the Copenhagen School of Economics and Business Administration (1917). Pop. (2022 est.) mun., 644,431; urban area, 1,345,562.

Robert H. Dennard was an American engineer credited with the invention of the one-transistor cell for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and with pioneering the set of consistent scaling principles that underlie the improved performance of increasingly miniaturized integrated circuits, two pivotal

Brian Dennehy was an American actor whose extensive body of work included film, television, and stage productions. Although his large size made him a natural on the football field, Dennehy was encouraged by a teacher to pursue his interest in acting, and he appeared in his high school’s production

Johann Christoph Denner was a German maker of musical instruments and the inventor of the clarinet. Denner’s father, Heinrich, made horns and animal calls; from him Christoph learned instrument building, at the same time becoming an excellent performer. His energy was mainly devoted to improving

Daniel C. Dennett was an American naturalist philosopher specializing in the philosophy of mind. He became a prominent figure in the atheist movement at the beginning of the 21st century. Dennett’s father was a diplomat and a scholar of Islamic history, and his mother was an editor and teacher. He