Acknowledgements

 

 

 

Many thanks to Julian Loose and the team at Faber, particularly Kate Ward, for taking so much trouble over this book and for ensuring such a handsome finished result, and to my agent, Andrew Lownie. I also had invaluable help along the way from Ron Morton and Jim Green who took the time to read and comment on the manuscript, whilst Stephen Scoffham handily pointed out that Malacca once had its hands on Venice’s throat. To Ron and Rita Morton a second thank you is due for having me to stay in Athens during a tour of the Stato da Mar – and to Jan, as ever, for assisting the book writing in so many different ways and with such good humour.

I am grateful to the following authors and publishers for permission to reproduce material included here: Dr Pierre A. MacKay for extracts from his translation of The Memoir of Giovan-Maria Angiolello which is published at www.angiolello.net; Brill for extracts from Contemporary Sources for the Fourth Crusade by Alfred J. Andrea, 2008.