ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In the course of writing this book a great many people have offered invaluable advice and support, as well as providing me with opportunities to visit, to discuss, and to learn about some of the people and places covered here. I would like to thank: William Purkis, Francis Robinson, Jonathan Harris, Matthew Bennett, Natasha Hodgson, Peter Jackson, Osman Latiff, Justin Champion, Paul Sturtevant, Andrew Taylor, Andy Hershey, Dimitri Collingridge, David Jeffcock, and Will Lane. The good-natured enthusiasm and culinary skills of the students on the University of London MA in Crusader Studies have also been vital. I am very grateful to Catherine Clarke for her positive and clear-sighted guidance and to all the team at Felicity Bryan for their hard work; my thanks also to Fletcher and Co. in New York. Will Sulkin has shown immense faith in this project and provided crucial conceptual input and editorial advice; David Milner has been an excellent and observant editor and the help of Tim Bartlett and Kay Peddle has been much appreciated. My thanks, again, to Emmett Sullivan for his photographic expertise. The emotional and practical kindnesses of many others have been essential and I am hugely thankful to Alex and Ruth Windscheffel, Eileen Moore, Kate and Andrew Golding, Amanda and Lenny Goodrich, Lisa Drage, Sharon-Lee Broomfield, Bruno Heisey, the Chappell family, Roger and Leila Moore, and particularly Anne Meyer and Sir Idris Pearce, and Sophie and John Wallace. My greatest debts are to my parents for providing me with such wholehearted support throughout my life; thanks also to my dad for his interest and research at such a difficult time for him; to my sons, who both make me so proud: Tom for his ever-sharp observations and humor and Marcus for his happy enthusiasm. Finally, to my wonderful wife, Niki, for her patience, belief, and love, without which I could not be.