I loved WFB’s column on Norman Mailer today. One very small bit intrigued me. Buckley mentions that Playboy bought his and Mailer’s introductory remarks to a debate in Chicago. Buckley writes: “It pleased Mailer, who was complaining widely about his poverty, that Playboy magazine immediately contracted to publish his and my opening statements in their next issue.” Playboy paid $5,000, though it’s not obvious if this was $5K apiece or $5K to be split. Either way, this is an enormous amount of money for 1962. A quick gander at the inflation calculator tells me that it’s just under $35,000 in today’s dollars. And what was Mailer’s first reaction? To sue Playboy because his comments were so much more valuable than that.