American Classic Pedigrees - Horse Tales

When You're the Expert

10/1/2026

Last week, my husband decided to make use of an AI program he's found useful to give me some hints as to how I can come up with more information on Sam "Chief" Johnson and incorporate them into a compelling biography/history. (For those who haven't been following my quixotic quest before now, "Chief" was a half-white, half-Cherokee jockey who was well known on the western racing circuit of a century or so ago as much for his mental agility, cocky attitude, and quick retorts as for his riding skills; he came to my attention when I was researching the work that became Dream Derby: The Myth and Legend of Black Gold because he was the exercise rider who broke the legendary Kentucky Derby winner Black Gold to the saddle.) The AI came back with a couple of solid tips for further research, but the part I found both hilarious and frustrating was that most of the information sources cited came back to one person: me.

Now, I have some degree of knowledge about various things related to Thoroughbred pedigrees and racing history. I've written hundreds of magazine articles on these topics as well as six books. I've even been cited by other authors and researchers as an authoritative source from time to time, which I suppose qualifies me as an expert of sorts. But if I am the reigning expert on one Sam "Chief" Johnson, then I may well fit the definition of an expert often attributed to Columbia University president Nicholas Murray Butler: someone who knows more and more about less and less until he [she] knows everything about nothing.

"Chief" Johnson is hardly nothing, of course: he was a living, breathing human being who made himself memorable on sheer force of personality. And the research I'm doing is being done precisely because I don't know everything there is to know about him, short of those parts of any man's soul that are known only to God. There is a real sense in which knowing this one relatively obscure man becomes knowledge of the times he lived in and the lives of many others like him, who lived on the ragged edges of society and pursued a risky profession in a world that had very few safety nets. That's the world and the man I hope to bring to life. Nevertheless, this seems to be one area in which I am truly blazing a trail, or at least trying to. And I guess that makes me the expert, whether I feel I merit the title or not.

Book Review: A.P. Indy (Shulman)

8/27/2026

Very few Thoroughbreds become champions in three different spheres: the sale ring, the racetrack, and the breeding shed. Fewer still merit the description "breed-shaping," in the sense of making such an outstanding contribution to the breed that one would have to envision a different direction for the Thoroughbred had this one individual not existed.

For A.P. Indy, the jury (at least in my opinion) is still out on the "breed-shaping" part, as it will probably take another twenty or thirty years before his full influence is revealed. Nevertheless, there is no denying his merit as a physical individual, as a racehorse, or as a stallion, nor can one underestimate the impact he had on the people who surrounded him. From farm workers to multimillionaire owners and breeders to fans, A.P. Indy was the horse of a lifetime and more. In A.P. Indy: Champion Racehorse and Breed Shaping Sire (2026, University Press of Kentucky), veteran writer Lenny Shulman tells the story of an unforgettable animal whose Midas touch extended to every aspect of the Thoroughbred industry.

Drawing on decades of connections made during his work in journalism, Shulmann vividly portrays the web of individuals surrounding a Thoroughbred during the stages of its life--and sometimes even before a horse is ever conceived, as families of mares are nurtured through generations before the crucial mating is planned that catches lightning in a bottle. In that sense, A.P. Indy's story begins two generations before his birth, when William Farish III began developing two dreams. One dream was Lane's End Farm, now one of Kentucky's premier breeding entities and sale consignors. The other dream began with a half interest in a good race mare named Lassie Dear. She would become the grandmother of the stallion Farish aimed for of as he built up his farm---the kind of horse who could put a breeding business at the top of the Thoroughbred industry. Through the union of Lassie Dear's daughter Weekend Surprise with Seattle Slew, Farish produced that horse in A.P. Indy, an animal who combined the genetics for exceptional ability with the physique to deliver on that ability.

Yet, as A.P. Indy took his first wobbly steps in the spring of 1989, he became the nexus of an intricate dance of interconnected decisions, each with the potential to culminate in fulfillment of his potential or a derailment to the obscurity that claims the vast majority of even the most outstanding foals. As Shulman moves through A.P. Indy's journey from sale-topping yearling to America's Horse of the Year and then to outstanding sire and sire of sires, he provides an intimate look at the development of a champion as both an athlete and a business asset, as a personality and as the focus of tough decisions made for both the animal's welfare and for business reasons. It was the job of A.P. Indy's human team to create and then unlock his vast potential; to place him where his inherent assets could be best used; to protect his physical and mental health while honing his abilities; and to capitalize on the value he created as a racer and stallion. Shulman understands all of this, and it is his in-depth grasp of the minutiae of the various aspects of the Thoroughbred industry, centered around the life and career of a horse he clearly admires as no other, that sets this book apart as an equine biography.

A.P. Indy is one of two books kicking off the University Press of Kentucky's "Racing Royalty" series (the other is my own Holy Bull: An Unconventional Path to Racing Glory), and if Shulmann's work is any indication, this series should be off to a great start in its mission of introducing readers to the great horses of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. It isn't a long read, but it packs a great deal into limited space and belongs on the bookshelves of both racing fans and serious students of the Thoroughbred.

Be Wary

8/13/2026

Scams have long awaited the unwary in the writing world. Historically, most have consisted of pitches to get a manuscript reviewed or published, with would-be authors being led to unqualified editors or reviewers who demand inflated fees for what proves to be substandard work, "agents" who have no track record for anything but separating writers from their money through up-front fees, or unscrupulous vanity presses that are anything but clear and upfront regarding the services they provide. Unfortunately, an increasing number of scams target established authors who (not unreasonably) want to increase their sales or branch out into another area of writing.

Two of the most common scams out there are the fake "book club" and the out-of-the-blue contact from someone who claims to represent a major publishing house. The first type contacts an author with a complimentary assessment of one of the author's books, followed by an offer to increase awareness of the book by having it presented before a book club that supposedly has several hundred to several thousand members. If the author expresses interest, the scammer will then attempt to inveigle the author into paying a fee of at least several hundred dollars and sometimes more for "presentation costs," "professional reviews," or any other plausible-sounding term that translates to coughing up money for the privilege of being presented before a probably nonexistent book club. The bottom line is that legitimate book clubs don't charge authors for the clubs' discussing their books or for making appearances before a club on-line or in person.

The second type of scam depends on an author's overlooking the fact that major publishing houses don't generally go headhunting for anyone who isn't already a high-profile author; they get far more submissions than they can ever use from lesser lights and from previously unpublished writers, and they are very careful about it when they do try to recruit established talent, since they don't want to run afoul of contract disputes. The "out-of-the-blue" scam targets self-published authors and those who have been published through smaller houses that don't require representation by a literary agent. The initial pitch may come from someone impersonating an actual acquisitions editor from the company. After some initial flattery and some probing regarding the author's past work and present projects, the hook is then thrown out: the editor will either give hope that a contract for a project may be offered or may offer a referral to a literary agent who can help you develop and sell your project. The reality, of course, is that the contract will never materialize and the "agent" is either the scammer's partner or an AI-generated front for the impersonator. What the scam is fishing for is either up-front fees that reputable editors and agents do not require or your sending in an unpublished manuscript that can be pirated for rewriting via AI---or both.

One of the major tells for this second type of scam is that the initial contact comes from a personal Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or similar account rather than from an address indicating corporate affiliation. For example, legitimate staff members at my own publisher, the University Press of Kentucky, use an address in the form of [email protected] when transacting professional business. If impersonating an actual staff member, scammers will also often use a title that the actual person does not or may misspell the person's name. If a search comes up with a webpage purporting to belong to the staff member, look for signs of sloppy or hasty construction, along with evidence suggesting AI generation. Look for similar signs regarding a supposed "agent"---legitimate agents use professional addresses affiliated with their companies (or addresses that are clearly separate from their personal email accounts if self-employed), have webpages that are clean and well-constructed, and can generally be found in professional directories maintained by reputable sources such as Writer's Digest. "Agents" who tout their involvement with nonexistent books and authors (or authors who have been dead for a while) are also not that uncommon, so do your homework regarding an agent's claims.

For more information about scams targeting authors, check out Writer Beware - Shining a small, bright light in a wilderness of writing scams. It's a great resource (it's sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association) and comes recommended by some of the major publishing outfits. And if you have been unlucky enough to be stung by a scam, don't be too upset with yourself. Scammers are experts at using your emotions and intellect against you, so put the blame where it belongs---on them. Learn from the experience and, if you can bear to do so, share it with others in your writing circle so that they don't fall victim too.

An Evening with the Author at Keeneland

8/6/2026

After the confusion and stress of a move from Florida to Lexington, Kentucky, the pleasure of attending the Keeneland Library's "Evening with the Author" program last night could not have been more welcome. The speaker was longtime racing writer Lenny Shulman, whose latest book, A.P. Indy: Champion Racehorse and Breed-Shaping Sire, was the topic of the presentation. Released in May, the book, along with my own Holy Bull: An Unconventional Path to Racing Glory, kicked off the University Press of Kentucky's new "Racing Royalty" series, showcasing some of the outstanding horses of the last few decades.

For Shulman, A.P. Indy was a life-changer as well as a breed-changer. His love for this remarkable horse came alive during the session, during which he recounted anecdotes from his own writing career as well as the racing and breeding history of a horse who, despite the honors he received during his lifetime, was perhaps never as much appreciated as he should have been. Shulman used his intimate knowledge of the Thoroughbred industry to provide details regarding A.P. Indy's background and supporting cast, enriching both his writing and the experience of his presentation.

The "Evening with the Author" programs at Keeneland always provide a pleasant opportunity to interact with other lovers of the Thoroughbred and of good writing during the question-and answer session after an author's presentation and during the reception to follow---not to mention a chance to sample the artistry of Keeneland's hospitality staff, whose hors d'oeuvres are always superb. For those who had to miss the August program, I hope that at least some of you will be able to attend the program on September 2 (for which I will be the guest speaker) and experience a lovely literary evening with a Keeneland flair.

When You're Wrong

7/2/2026

Human communication is inevitably subject to error. Sometimes errors are inadvertent or unintended. Sometimes errors are deliberate and deceptive. And, sooner or later, if you write, you will be accused of error (or, more gently, have it pointed out to you). Realizing that you have made a mistake is painful enough, but the pain is compounded if you find yourself accused of some moral fault, whether deception or some real or imagined slight against someone's sensitivities.

Now, if you have deliberately lied, or you meant every bit of offense you put into something that you said, it's time to put on your adult pants and deal with the fallout as best you may. Telling the very people you targeted that they "misheard" you or that you never said what everyone blasted well knows you said is either juvenile whining against the blowback or a display of contempt for the intelligence of the people you were deceiving and insulting. If you choose to gaslight others on top of being rude or malicious, on your head be it. But suppose that you have made an honest mistake. What then?

Most of the time, if you have merely made a factual error, simply acknowledging the mistake and correcting it suffices. You can even give a shout-out to the person who cared enough about the matter to bring it to your attention. Unless given good reason to think otherwise, assume the party who pointed out your error acted in good faith, and you'll be the happier for it. Even if you sense a "Gotcha!" attitude, it's still better to take the high road. Honesty and humility will get you much further than a prideful refusal to admit you're wrong.

When you stand accused of moral failure (real or imagined), the situation is much touchier, but again, honesty and humility are your best friends. I am not speaking of groveling before a social media mob or those whose attacks are more about their own sense of self-righteousness than any interest in anyone's actual good. But if you have looked yourself in the mirror as honestly as you are able and have humbly acknowledged any real hurt that you believe that you did---or, if you are honestly holding to deeply held convictions and realize that you cannot deny them without destroying your own integrity or betraying something you hold dearer than your own comfort, your social status, your livelihood, or even your life, no matter how much you wish your stand was not unwelcome or even painful to others---then make whatever apologies you truly believe are needful and stand your ground otherwise with as much wisdom, grace, and courage as you can scrape together for yourself and as much compassion for your enemies as you can muster. If you can remember that even the ugliest things hurled your way come from people who are themselves flawed, broken, and often hurting, you will be one step closer to acknowledging our shared humanity and need for redemption and one step further away from becoming a monster.

Preservation and Loss

5/21/2026

Those of you who have been running around in the same geeky circles that specialize in Thoroughbred history and breeding as I have can probably remember a number of cherished resources that are no more. Some were print periodicals; some were online. There are others that, while still available, are no longer updated and have uncertain futures; still others may still be out there but are increasingly difficult to find beneath layers of Web architecture.

Every form of recording past information has drawbacks. Books, which provide layers of knowledge and sometimes even wisdom atop the information they contain, are treasures when one has physical access but useless when one does not. They are also subject to physical deterioration and destruction, and many books in this field are rare and difficult to locate. Additionally, books are not readily updated (though that can be a strength in that a given book doesn't change according to the whims of later times). Printed magazines and newspapers provide snapshots of parts of the Thoroughbred world on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis, but their physical archives are space hogs and subject to the same perils that befall books; further, the lifespans of many periodicals are short and subject to both economic pressures and changing fashions in what owners and editors may decide to cover. CD-ROMs and DVDs can store multimedia information and have a reasonable level of durability with proper handling but require specialized equipment if their contents are to be accessed. And Internet sites, while highly adaptable so far as new and updated information goes, are subject to attack by bad actors, are often poorly edited, and sometimes ... just disappear.

At this time, AI seems more likely to complicate than solve the problem of preserving information, let alone that of preserving knowledge, which requires a certain level of value judgments and perspective to assess. (Wisdom is completely out of AI's sphere, implying a moral or transcendent dimension as it does). While AI can sift through tremendous amounts of information much more quickly than even the brightest and most capable human being, its ability to weigh and synthesize that information is much more questionable, not least because every large language model incorporates the biases and limited perspectives of its creators. When one considers that most of the major developers of the large language models on which AI systems are based are Millennial-generation males from the upper social classes and with a strong techie orientation---a group not exactly noted for strengths in relational skills, empathy, the humanities, a strong and reasonably unbiased grasp of human history, or humility regarding the limitations of humans and their technologies---the concern should not be what such individuals will design into their systems but what they will leave out. Whether the omissions are deliberate or (more likely) the result of the blind spots common to any relatively homogenous group scarcely matters in the long run.

How this will circle back to preserving information about our beloved horses, I don't know, but I don't think most of the techies are all that interested. Which, I suppose, leaves it up to geeks like me and you to write the books and articles and to create the blogs and websites before the things in which we are interested slip away into oblivion.

History and Gratitude

4/30/2026

I have recently returned to trying to trace the trail of Chief Johnson through his early life, with little more success than before. Some of this is due to the areas in which he was born and raised. There were no parishes there to supply church records, the U.S. Census didn't get around to the Oklahoma and Indian territories until 1890, and prior to the 1870s, many people in those areas never went through formal wedding ceremonies, meaning that, even if they lived as husband and wife for decades in common-law marriages. there are no marriage licenses on file. Birth certificates? If lucky, there is a record in a family Bible or a church register; if not, the chance of finding an official birth registration is slim outside the largest cities of the region. Death certificates are equally hard to come by; for instance, the state of Texas didn't start requiring all Texas counties to issue death certificates until 1903.

Even if any records were kept, they often fell victim to fire and war, as happened with the archives held in official buildings in the Cherokee Nation's capital of Tahlequah, which were lost during the Civil War. If there were ever records of Chief Johnson's Cherokee mother or her marriage, they were probably casualties of a conflict that tore the Cherokee people apart as bitterly as it did whites in the eastern states. Poor storage conditions also led to loss of documents that might have supplied written history. For most people whose activities did not bring them to the attention of those newspapers that still have archives available, time was a river that carried them into oblivion, at least so far as human memory is concerned.

Although my search hasn't turned up much in the way of hard facts, it has introduced me to a nineteenth-century world much different from the one I now inhabit---and, frankly, a world that brings home to me how soft and spoiled I am. Consider just these facts, which informed the worldview of periodicals of the time:

At least three in every ten children didn't make it to adulthood, and most of the lost children died before the age of five.
Diseases such as malaria, cholera, influenza, measles, and smallpox were part of life and caused much early mortality. There were no vaccinations available for most of these maladies.
Accidents involving horses were commonplace, due both to the animals' skittish or aggressive behavior and to human negligence, recklessness, and cruelty. Modern medical care probably could have saved many victims but was not around then.
Infected wounds were another constant hazard in an age without antibiotics or antiseptic agents. A small cut picked up during the course of a day's work on the farm or in one's trade could be fatal if blood poisoning set in.
Weather-related delays in transportation and services as well as destruction caused by storms and deaths related to temperature extremes (particularly cold) were commonplace.
Racial and sex-related attitudes that would be considered shocking today were widespread among people at all social levels and from varied ethnic backgrounds.
Cities struggled with sanitation problems similar to those seen in developing countries today, with disposal of human and animal waste being a constant issue. Contaminated water and associated disease were common.

There is a great deal more that could be said, but I for one am very glad to be living now, with the necessities of life readily available, a greater range of opportunities available to me as a woman, and a wide array of comforts and amusements available on even a modest income, including everyday luxuries that a king could not obtain in the pre-World War I world. If history teaches nothing else, perhaps it should teach gratitude for having what we do instead of whining about what we don't.

Look Before You Leap

4/2/2026

All of us have had that moment when we have realized that something we said was untrue, foolish, hurtful, or a leap to an unwarranted conclusion. (Open mouth, insert foot, chew vigorously; when tired of flavor, change feet.) We can apologize profusely and sincerely, but we can't unsay what has been said. If lucky, it is maganimously forgiven and forgotten, or it takes on a more humorous existence as the butt of a long-running joke among family or friends. If not lucky, it rankles in someone's memory or travels from ear to ear as a rumor, continuing to cause damage as it goes.

Writing has always had its hazards too regarding saying what cannot be unsaid, but prior to the advent of modern communications, its impact was apt to be limited unless it somehow found its way into print. But now, when you can be your own publisher at the click of a button, the problem of hasty words is magnified. Once posted on a forum, blog, or website, your words are essentially immortal. Even if deleted after you have thought better of what you have said, they may be resurrected to continue doing harm, and they can come back to haunt you at any time. Even things that were said anonymously can often be traced back to their source, the more so now that AI can build up an electronic "fingerprint" based on your vocabulary, writing style, interests, and known leanings.

What brought these thoughts to mind was the recent brouhaha surrounding Canadian champion Ginger Brew, which started when Last Chance Direct Ship Horses---a Texas kill pen which uses its Facebook page to advertise horses that will be sent to slaughter if not ransomed---posted the mare's photo on March 23. Within 45 minutes of the ad's posting, Michigan rescue operator Gail Hirt saw the ad and promptly ponied up the US$1,400 to buy the mare and get her out of danger.

As fast as Hirt acted, posts hit the Internet even faster, most of them screaming blame at someone. First it was breeder-owner Adena Springs, but a modicum of research would have revealed that Adena Springs had not owned Ginger Brew since her sale for US$90,000 through the 2021 Keeneland November. This was hardly a case of dumping an unwanted animal without any regard to her well-being. While Ginger Brew was being culled from the Adena Springs broodmare band, she was 16, believed in foal to the good stallion Hard Spun, and could reasonably have been expected to produce more foals after 2022. She was bought by Mark Collinsworth's Forks of the Paluxy Farm for the harem of their newly purchased stallion, Grade 1 winner Mr Speaker.

As soon as that came out, Collinsworth was the next party under fire, and it turned out that the venom flung his way was equally undeserved. As reported by The Blood-Horse and Paulick Report, he had given the mare to someone else who checked out as a reliable horse person and wanted to try breeding her. The mare failed to get in foal, and that person, in turn, ended up giving the mare to someone who claimed he wanted a family horse for his children---a common ruse for dishonest dealers, who promise a good retirement home and then haul the horse off to auction or slaughter. More than a few well-meaning but naive horse owners have been deceived in this fashion.

Then, of course, there were those who wanted to excoriate the entire horse industry for not providing absolute safety for every horse from the foaling box to death from sheer old age. Certainly, everything that can be done to ensure that horses are cared for and treated humanely throughout their lives should be done, but utopian ideals are no more possible to fulfill for horses than they are for humans. Oddly enough, the people who seem to have largely escaped the media firestorm are the person who got Ginger Brew on false pretenses and the kill pen operator, which two would seem to me to be the most culpable for the whole mess.

Ginger Brew is safe now, but the damage done to Adena Springs (which has long had a good retirement program) and Collinsworth by a public rush to judgment remain, and neither is likely to receive any apologies from those who chose to prove how much they "cared" by hastily posting unfounded accusations. So, let this be a cautionary tale about hitting the keyboard before listening to calmer voices and doing some homework. You are far less likely to regret the words you didn't say than the words you did; no one is paying you for a scoop; and the reputation you save by refraining from hasty words may, in the end, be your own.

Cue the Writer

3/5/2026

A popular idea regarding writing is that inspiration "just happens." And sometimes an excellent idea, a brilliant turn of phrase, or a crucial insight into plot or character development will seem to pop out of nowhere. More often than not, though, the writer who waits on bursts of inspiration to drive writing is a writer who gets little or nothing done.

If your writing dreams are to be more than pleasant illusions, you simply cannot afford to wait around for the Muse to show up. The habits of writing must be trained, and that takes discipline---both to get any serious work done, and to increase the chances that inspiration will drop in. The point is to train your brain to transition into writing mode on a regular basis, so that writing becomes intentional rather than haphazard.

Most serious writers understand that scheduling is important. We all get the same 24 hours given to us every day, and priorities are quickly revealed by the use of that time. If you seriously want to do something, you don't find time for it; you make time for it by blocking it out on your schedule. Whether it's a daily, three-times-a-week, or weekly chunk of time that you decide to devote to writing, the point is that (barring legit interruptions from still higher priorities) you are engaged in the business of writing in some way, shape, or form, to the exclusion of other activities.

This isn't about becoming a slave to rigid scheduling; it's about establishing a useful habit that will help shape your thinking. It generally takes three to six weeks of consistent practice to get a habit going, but once you have done so, you will probably find your mind more readily slipping into the flow of writing when the appointed time comes around. And, should a flash of inspiration strike at some other time, you still have the option of getting the thoughts down as they come; just don't allow these random moments to substitute for your scheduled time. (For those moments when lightning strikes, I'd suggest keeping a good old-fashioned note pad and pen handy; the act of scribbling something down is a much better aid to memory than many people realize, aside from having the physical record of your thoughts.)

Just as important as making a designated space in your schedule for writing is having a designated physical space for the work. It is not necessary to have a fancy home office; a small writing nook or even the kitchen table will do if you're there with your laptop at your scheduled writing time and have arrangements made to keep distractions to a minimum. Again, the point is to surround yourself with cues that signal your brain that the business at hand is writing. That means that your writing spot should be reasonably comfortable (physical discomfort does not help concentration unless you're far more of an ascetic than I am), organized in whatever manner you find most effective, and NOT the place where you usually answer texts, play games, and scroll through news and social media. If you give your brain the chance to cue in on dopamine hits instead of writing, it will probably do exactly that because of the more immediate rewards involved. If at all possible, turn the smartphone off entirely or put it in another room and set it to silence all contacts save those from your nearest and dearest (who should know about your writing schedule and, one hopes, will refrain from disturbing you without good reason).

Setting apart dedicated time and space for writing doesn't guarantee that you will ever complete a book, a magazine article, a poem, or much of anything else. You still have to put in the effort and do the best you can within the constraints you have. But, as the saying is, failure to plan is planning to fail. By creating an environment in time and space in which writing becomes the expected thing to do, you are at least putting yourself into a mindset in which regular writing is not only possible but likely, and there's a good deal to be said for that.

Happy writing!

Critical Reading Is, Well, Critical

2/12/2026

From time to time, I have been asked to read a nonfiction manuscript and give a professional opinion of its strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for publication by the assigning publishing house. At least to me, this is not a light task, especially since it is always understood that my review will be both read by the assigning editor and forwarded to the writer as feedback. On the one hand, I want to encourage other writers and help their growth along, and I don't want to crush someone with harsh criticism. On the other hand, I have a duty to the publishing house to provide an honest assessment as to whether the manuscript is worth persevering with and what changes need to be made to produce something worth the house's time and expense; they aren't paying me to be wishy-washy.

At this stage of the publishing process, it's not my job to help the writer clean up punctuation, spelling, and grammar; that will come later, at the copy editing stage. What I am being asked to do is to assess how well the manuscript answers a number of questions related to writing quality and the needs of the publishing house. They include but are not limited to the following:

Does the manuscript shed new light on a topic, address a new subject, or otherwise fill a niche in the publisher's lineup and the larger market for similar books that has not previously been done? Most publishers aren't in the market for a book that essentially rehashes other works that are already out there without finding a new angle.
Does the manuscript fit into the types of books that the house normally produces and the target audiences that the house appeals to? This is not simply a matter of genre or subject matter, which will get a great many books weeded out without ever needing to get to the beta-reader stage; it can also reflect the level at which the book is written and the type of treatment the subject matter is given. A university press, for instance, usually expects a solid level of research and scholarship in the works it presents even if they are intended for a popular-level audience; a publisher of books suitable for middle-school children needs less academic detail and a writing level that can reach children without talking down to them.
Speaking of writing level, is it suitable for the target audience? Is the vocabulary appropriate? Does the writer use technical terms clearly and appropriately, without either talking down to the audience or assuming greater knowledge than the audience possesses?
What drives the structure of the manuscript? Is it thematic, chronological, topical, or organized around some other principle? Does it remain self-consistent?
How well does the manuscript's structure support its purpose? Is it logical and easy to follow? Should the material be rearranged to improve reader interest and/or comprehension? If so, how?
How well does the manuscript engage and maintain reader interest? Ideally, if there is an introduction or prologue, it should establish three main points: what the topic is, what makes the topic interesting or important, and why the reader should care about it. After that, the book should deliver on what the intro promises. If it doesn't, where is it falling short? How can the problem or problems be corrected?
Do subtopics support and enrich the main narrative/subject without becoming rabbit trails? Are they adequately developed without becoming places where the manuscript bogs down?
How are historical figures treated? Are they developed in a reasonable and interesting way that is consistent with the source materials?
If citations and notes are part of the manuscript, has the writer used credible sources and documented them appropriately? Has eyewitness material been cross-checked with other types of evidence? (While eyewitness information is invaluable for addressing emotional issues and the human side of a narrative, human memory is notoriously fallible---and the reasons why an eyewitness's account doesn't match other evidence can be very interesting in themselves.)

Obviously, there are other questions that could be asked, but these are some of the major ones. For those of you who are engaged in writing, considering these questions in advance of submitting your manuscript and answering them to the best of your ability can save both of us a fair amount of trouble.