First Edition Original
Published 2026
The original biography. Thirty chapters across six parts: Origins, Empire, The Eye, Power, The Lake, and Legacy. Covers the full arc from Buckingham Palace to Christie’s. Structured as a printable book with image placeholders throughout.
30 chapters
6 parts
Print-ready
Second Edition Expanded
Published 2026 • Continuously updated
The expanded edition incorporating the complete Smithsonian oral history (April 12–13, 2017). New chapters on every wife (Martine, Trish, Pam, Rebecca), the full O’Keeffe friendship, the Abiquiu wedding with Maggie Lopez as best man, the spinster aunt who was the “half paycheck,” Muriel’s 8 varsity sports, the Somerset Maugham book that inspired the Louvre visits, the Dan Terra “Yankee Doodle Dandy” story, the accidental Chop Suey negotiation, the Rotterdam revelation, and more. Includes Appendix A (obituary) and the full research contacts database.
29+ chapters
~72 printed pages
Growing
Print-ready
Third Edition In Progress
Working draft • Continuously updated
The complete edition. Every untold story from the Smithsonian transcript. New chapters: The Stamp Collector, Christian Science to Canterbury, The F-111 That Got Away, Mike Kunin (only competition), The Warhol and the Chapel, O’Keeffe in the Dark (painting blind with binoculars), The National Gallery show, The Painting or the Fire, and The Cousin (Paul Walhus’s personal chapter). 38 chapters, ~87 printed pages and growing.
38 chapters~87 pagesGrowingPrint-ready
Research Contacts Directory
Interview subjects • Archives • Sources
Comprehensive directory of people to interview for future editions: all four wives (Martine de Visme, Trish Kloepfer, Pamela Larimer, Rebecca Layman-Amato), daughter Christiane Ebsworth Ladd, art world contacts (Eric Widing at Christie’s, Joan Washburn, Pita Lopez, Mimi Gardner Gates), business associates (Maxine Clark of Build-A-Bear), architects (Jim Olson, Tadao Ando), and research archives. Includes publicly available contact information, LinkedIn profiles, and recommended approaches.
20+ contacts
7 archives
Not indexed by Google
Documentary Treatment New
Feature-length documentary film treatment
The complete treatment for a 90-120 minute documentary based on the biography. Five acts, 15 scenes, interview subjects, locations, existing footage inventory, comparable films. Cold open on the $91.9M auction, close on Ebsworth Park. Barney narrates from beyond the grave via the Smithsonian recording.
Publisher Pitch Letter Confidential
Book proposal for agents and publishers
Complete book proposal: one-paragraph pitch, why this book / why now, comparable titles (The Art Thief, Killers of the Flower Moon, Empire of Pain), author credentials, manuscript status, chapter outline, film potential, and what we need from a publisher.
Master Sources & Links 100+ Sources
Every source, organized by category
Complete directory of all sources used in the biography: primary sources, auction records, paintings, SAM controversy, Hunts Point estate, cruise lines, O’Keeffe connection, Ebsworth Park, Echo sculpture, Ando chapel, obituaries, genealogy, yearbooks, court records, profiles, museums. 100+ annotated links.
Production Database Interactive
Sortable • Searchable • Filterable
Complete contact database for the book and documentary. Family, interview subjects, art world, business, production, archives, locations, media, legal. Sortable columns, category filters, search. 35+ contacts tracked.
Research To-Do List Active
Interviews • Archives • Books • Photos
Comprehensive checklist of everything needed to complete the biography: interviews to schedule, books to order, yearbooks to find, archives to contact, photo permissions to request, videos to watch. Checkmarks save automatically.
40+ tasksInteractiveAuto-saves