ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I thank everyone who gave me permission to quote from their work, and especially Nyree Findlay, who also corrected my archaeology, and Julia Donaldson, who let Moth have The Gruffalo.

I thank my colleagues at the University of Kent and at the University of Iceland for their support and interest as I wrote this book. At Kent, my especial gratitude to Jennie Batchelor and Scarlett Thomas; in Iceland to Peter Knutsson and Messiana Tomasdottir, Maeja Gardarsdottir, Mads Holm and Matthew Whelpton, and all the students in my writing courses. Sinead Mooney’s reading and comments were much valued.

Thank you to my agent, Anna Webber, to everyone at Granta, and especially my editor, Sara Holloway, for her bounteous patience and for the gift of her discernment, and to Amber Dowell for good cheer (and pink drink) when I needed it.