I am a fictional character, an unaffiliated sociologist with a special interest in the history and dynamics of interpersonal behavior. I am the husband in every sense but the legal one of both of the Glynn twins, Margot and Martha, and together we have two daughters, Martha and Margot (each of the twins named her daughter for her sister). I am the editor and annotator of The Complete Peter Leroy (so far) and the compiler of this glossary. For years, I have been intending to write a confessional memoir in encyclopedic form; if I ever get around to writing it, I will call it The Topical Autobiography of Mark Dorset. 

Among my publications are the following: 

Something Like Clam Chowder: An Introduction to the Complete Peter Leroy (so far)
"You Keep Singing About Champagne, But I See You're Serving Beer" 
"There's One Born Every Minute, and I'm My Own Grandpa: Auto-Gullibility" 
"Fuck You, Asshole: The Death of Civility in Everyday Discourse" 
I See by Your Outfit that You Are a Cowboy: How We Look the Part
I Know I'm Right (Correct Me If I'm Wrong): a Study of the Acceptance and Dissemination of Notions that Are Wrongheaded, Boneheaded, and Just Plain Emptyheaded
How Come You Do the Things You Do? (A Study of Motivation)
Wit, Grace, and Style: Recognizing the Best of Human Endeavor from Its Artifacts
Another Day, Another Dollar (my study of the doggedness of the working classes) 
Hats in Fiction
"Mine Eyes Have Seen the Eyes of My Beholder" 
"From the Bottom of the Deck: A Technique for Getting Your Notes in Order" 
"They Often Call Me Speedo: A Look at the Way We Name Names" 
"What Do You Want to Be If You Grow Up?" (in Children at Risk) 
"The Dorset Diagram and How to Use It," (reprinted in Sociology Made Visible) 
"The Door Was Open, So I Let Myself In: 'Natural' Curiosity as a Motive for Action" 

A Topical Guide to the Complete Peter Leroy (so far) is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, dialogues, settings, and businesses portrayed in it are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. 

All rights reserved. No part of this guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author. 

Portions of A Topical Guide to the Complete Peter Leroy (so far) were first published by Voyager, Inc., as part of The Complete Peter Leroy (so far).

The illustration at the top of the page is an adaptation of an illustration by Stewart Rouse that first appeared on the cover of the August 1931 issue of Modern Mechanics and Inventions. The boy at the controls of the aerocycle doesn’t particularly resemble Peter Leroy—except, perhaps, for the smile.