I am happy to have the opportunity to thank all my wonderful family, friends, colleagues, and the history and publishing professionals who have made this long project a pleasure over the many years of work involved. My agent John Taylor Williams and his talented assistant, Katherine Flynn, were enthusiastic about the subject and eagerly helped me develop it. The publishers of Pegasus Books, Claiborne Hancock and Jessica Case, loved the subject and my approach and could not have been more helpful in bringing the book swiftly and expertly into print.
The Washington, D.C. Legal History Roundtable and George Mason University Art and History Department members offered valuable comments on my presentations. I also wish to thank the archivists and librarians who generously offered their expertise and assistance. Thanks go to James Campbell, archivist of the New Haven Colony Historical Society and the New Haven Museum, the archivists of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburg manuscript collections, the Library and Archives of Canada, especially the Quebec branch, the Library of Congress and the George Mason Law School’s reference librarians for their crucial help. Research assistants Nicole Kolinski and Scott Harris were wonderfully diligent and creative, juggling work for me with the necessity of graduating from law school. I am indebted to the many fine scholars who have preceded me and uncovered key information on numerous aspects of Arnold’s life.
My loving and amazingly patient family and friends have endured many conversations about Arnold when politely inquiring how the book was proceeding. Special thanks go to my dear friend Michael Unger who learned more about the subject than he probably ever really wanted to know. My greatest debt is to my sister Ellen Ghasemi who ploughed into the research with zest, discovered wonderful and colorful material, read and commented on every chapter and made the entire project one of joy.