Although the title page might suggest a solo performance, Reading the Eighteenth‐Century Novel could not have come into existence without the assistance of a team of generous and skillful colleagues and friends in the worlds of academia and publishing. Let me start out with the general editor of the Reading the Novel series, Professor Daniel Schwarz of Cornell, who asked me to undertake a once‐orphaned project. I had help with the prospectus and with chapter design from professors Alison Case of Williams College and James Phelan of Ohio State, authors of other volumes in the series. Dr. Stephen Gregg of Bath Spa University and Professor Robert DeMaria of Vassar College reviewed the manuscript at various stages in its development; their hints and suggestions were always on target, but any errors of fact or emphasis are my own. At Wiley‐Blackwell, I worked first with Emma Bennett, who signed the book, then with Deirdre Ilkson, Emily Corkhill, and Bridget Jennings, and finally with Rebecca Harkin, under whose watchful editorial eye the book was completed. The attractive object you are holding was created by Manish Luthra and Sakthivel Kandaswamy, in charge of production for Wiley‐Blackwell. Doreen Kruger was my savvy and energetic copy editor, who never asked me a question when she could look it up herself. Research was carried out at the British Library, the Mina Rees Library at the CUNY Graduate Center, the Rosenthal Library of Queens College. I finished the book with the aid of a Fellowship Leave from my department at Queens College. Finally, I would like to dedicate this book to the wonderful students who over two decades have taken my course in the origin and development of the English novel at the CUNY Graduate Center. Among these I would like to single out Christopher Fanning, Harry Heuser, Matt Williams, Will Hatheway, Carrie Shanafelt, Janne Gillespie, Shang‐yu Sheng, and Eugene Slepov: I have learned so much from you and hope to continue doing so, wherever you may go.