There’s nothing better than a library… except the people who work there! Many thanks to Jane Riley of The Leeds Library, the oldest surviving example of the proprietary subscription library in the British Isles. The perfect spot for a pivotal scene in Anna’s Refuge. Jane gave me a tour of the facility—including an original chair still coated with the original paint!
Appropriately, the library houses the collections of the Thoresby Society, the Leeds Historical Society. Eve Bradford, their librarian, graciously dug up maps and other assorted resources for my edification. Priceless!
Appreciation, too, to Antony Ramm of the Central Library in Leeds, who pulled dozens of tomes from the stacks for one blissful afternoon of research. I wish I could have used one-quarter of the information I unearthed. I hope to do better in future books.
For the research articles she kindly sent me, I’m grateful to fellow Janeite Cheryl Kinney, MD, of the Dr. Cheryl Kinney Center for Female Health & Hormone Disorders, who is an expert on historical customs and attitudes pertaining to pregnancy and childbirth. Again, so much information, so little space in my book!
To Doris Lemcke and Karen Dean Benson, my critique partners, I send my love and thanks for their time and honest comments—sometimes tactful, usually right, always appreciated!
Kerryn Reid