The "Brothers" book was started 40 years ago, required many hours of research at the UCLA Library. When I recently (2011) started writing again, the research could all be done on the computer I use everyday.
Books are the love of my life and I had every book I ever owned until we moved onto a sailboat and went cruising for several years. That was a long way from Roscoe High School in Texas where I still go to reunions.