AMONG THE MANY people who have offered support and shared their ideas and expertise with me, I want to thank Simon and Dottie Ain-scough, Tricia Allerston, Giles Bancroft, Andrew Barclay, Peter Barrowcliff, Janie Bell, Gina and Hugh Birley, David Boothroyd, Sheree Branch, James Brown, Suzy and Humfrey Butters, Melissa Chapman, Lucy Churchill, Thekla and John Clark, Annabel Cottrell, Chris Cuddihy, Lizzy Currie, Cees De Bondt, Flora Dennis, Luc Duerloo, Edward Eden, Peter Finer, Redmond Finer, Milo Goslett, Allen Grieco, Richard Goldthwaite, Guido Guerzoni, Charles and Liz Handy, Chris and Paula Hollingsworth, Elizabeth Hollingsworth, Rosamund Hollingsworth, Charles Hope, Keith and Averil Humphries, Sam Ives, Anna Keay, Julian Kliemann, Robert Lacey, Sally and Liam Laurence Smyth, Meg and Fred Licht, Adrian Lyttleton, Philip Mansel, Ann Matchette, Anna di Majo, Elisabetta di Majo, David Medcalf, Jonathan Miller, Luca Molà, Reinhold Mueller, John Onians, Dee Parte, Kate Petty, Nigel and Clare Reynolds, Glenn Richardson, James Roberts, Jengo Robinson, Nick and Cressida Ross, Hugo Rowbotham, the late Lorna Sage, Toby Salaman, Henry Say-well, Richard Schofield, Rupert Shepherd, Alice Simon, Benet Simon, David Starkey, Simon Thurley, Stefano and Carla Tucci, Thomas Tuohy, Camilla and Johnny Vivian, Rose Vivian and Steve Wharton.
I would also like to thank Evelyn Welch, Mick O’Malley and my other colleagues on the Material Renaissance project, as well as all those who participated in our conferences, and the Getty Grant Program and the Arts & Humanities Research Board who funded this research project at the University of Sussex (2000–3).
I owe a particular debt of thanks to the staff at the Archivio di Stato in Modena for all their help with my research. Finally I want to thank Gail Pirkis and the staff at Profile Books for their faith in the book.