A work of this size (almost 1,000 entries) requires the cooperation and collaboration of many persons, and over the years—too many years, I should probably add, and our contributors will undoubtedly agree—I have accumulated many debts. I am very grateful to the many colleagues (192 in all) who gave generously of their time and expertise to write the articles that make up these two volumes. Their names are listed both at the beginning of the encyclopedia and after each of their entries. In particular, I thank my associate editors—John Barker, Gail Geiger, and Richard Lansing—who have provided invaluable assistance in the recruiting of contributors, in the editing of their articles, and in the writing of original entries for the encyclopedia. I also thank those colleagues who provided photographs: John Barker, Teresa Gualtieri Clarke, Gail Geiger, and Richard Lansing. I am very grateful to Lou Jordan and his staff (in particular, Christian Du Pont and Sara Weber) in the Department of Special Collections for placing at my disposal their very rich holdings during my several photographic expedi tions to the Hesburgh Library at the University of Notre Dame. I am similarly indebted to the former and present curators—Robin Rider and Geraldine Laudati—of the Department of Special Collections of Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison, for allowing me to take photographs of materials in their wonderful collection.
Work on the encyclopedia began with the encouragement and sure guidance of Gary Kuris at Garland Publishing and proceeded under the editorial supervision of Marianne Lown, Joanne Daniels, and Richard Steins. Most recently the project has benefited enormously from the support of Sylvia Miller and the expert editorial hand of Susan Gamer and their many assistants at Routledge. On a more personal note, I owe more than words can say to the support always generously given me by my wife Marge and our sons Steven and Michael, who can now, I believe, breathe a great sigh of relief, in the knowledge that this project is indeed truly and finally done. It is to them, for their love of Italy both medieval and modern, that I dedicate these volumes.
CHRISTOPHER KLEINHENZ