I wish to thank for their kind assistance the curators and librarians of the National Library of Scotland, the Central Library of Edinburgh, the Signet Library of the Parliament House of Scotland, the Scottish Record Office, the Scottish Registry Office, the Georgian House of Edinburgh, and the House of Lords Record Office.
I also wish to thank my research assistants, Kathleen Hall and Phyllis Irwin, and my friends and colleagues who read and commented on this work in its various drafts: my writers’ group, directed by Jean Pickering (with special gratitude to Suzanne Kehde); Barbara Grier, Walt Stuart, Alison Scott, Lorimar Doan, Allan Skei, Barbara Bradshaw, Harriet Perl, and Savina Teuball. For their unfailing support and encouragement I am grateful to my dean, Joe Satin; my agent, Sandra Dijkstra; and my editor, Maria Guarnaschelli.