Author’s Notes and Acknowledgments

This novel was inspired by several visits to the British Museum’s groundbreaking 2013 exhibit, Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind. While there is no way of proving that our prehistoric ancestors understood the persistence of vision and created and used thaumatropes, I believe that they did. To watch a demonstration of the Mas d’Azil thaumatrope, visit https://prehistories.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/thaumatrope/. For additional information, read La Préhistoire du Cinéma by Marc Azéma.

The visionary photographer William Mortensen’s reputation was in decline for decades, in part because of the antipathy of Ansel Adams and other members of the f64 group. Happily, Feral House Press has attempted to right this wrong with its landmark volume, American Grotesque: The Life and Art of William Mortensen. Feral House has also reprinted Mortensen’s notorious The Command to Look, with an essay by Michael Moynihan on how the book influenced Anton LaVey’s Church of Satan. For more info, check out feralhouse.com.

London is a real place, and so is West Penwith. Padwithiel is not, though I have visited it many times: as Melville wrote, “It is not down in any map; true places never are.” Those looking for more information on the vast number of Neolithic sites in West Penwith (and far beyond) might start with Julian Cope’s vast and invaluable site, The Modern Antiquarian, www.themodernantiquarian.com.

Books are never written entirely alone: mine aren’t anyway. My thanks to all of the following:

As ever, my eternal gratitude goes first and foremost to my agent, Martha Millard, for twenty-seven years of strength and support for all my work.

Heartfelt thanks to my editor, Marcia Markland, for her continuing help and insight, and to Quressa Robinson, Sarah Melnyk, Paul Hochman, Lauren Hougen, and the rest of the stellar team at St. Martin’s Press.

To Melanie Sanders, Copy Editor Imperator.

To Enza Vescera, for her invaluable assistance in tracking down a crucial paper on mollusks and ancient dye production in Northern Europe.

To Judith Clute, for helping me navigate Canary Wharf and the labyrinthine reaches of London beyond Camden Town.

To Anne Wittman, who shared her knowledge of Queen’s Wood, Highgate, and Crouch End, and helped me map Adrian’s squat.

To Legs McNeil, Resident Punk and role model.

To Brenda, Andrew, and Harley Morlet.

To Ellen Datlow and Bill Sheehan, who read and commented on this book in manuscript.

To David Shaw, for musical inspiration on this and so many other books.

To Graham Sleight, who helped me locate the ruins of Kethelwite Manor.

To John Clute, my literary and life compass, who read numerous drafts of this novel, visited myriad Neolithic sites, and made absolutely certain that Cass did not make a wrong turn on the A303.

Finally, to all the readers who have followed Cass’s misadventures and given me musical, artistic, and creative advice and inspiration during the writing of this book, in the virtual world and beyond: Cass may never express her gratitude for all your help, so I will. Thank you, with all my heart.