There are many people in France and elsewhere whose interest and support has made The Paris Game possible. To all those who have over many years helped me learn about and understand the history, character and culture of France, I owe a great debt of gratitude. I wish to express my appreciation to Professor Maurice Vaïsse of Sciences Po, University of Paris, for his invaluable assistance and for contributing the Foreword to this book. I also am grateful to William D. Irvine, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, York University, Toronto, who read the manuscript and made helpful suggestions. I wish to thank Emily Heppner of the Université de Caen Basse-Normandie for her timely research assistance. Sharon Argyle contributed the maps, for which I am grateful.
I also want to thank the staffs of a number of institutions — Archives de France and the Bibleothèque Nationale de France in Paris; the U.S. National Archives, College Park, Md.; the British Library, London; Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa; Bibleothèque et Archives nationale, Québec; and the Stauffer Library, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario.
My thanks especially to Diane Young and her team at Dundurn Press, without whose support The Paris Game might not have seen the light of day. Dominic Farrell’s careful editing contributed vastly to the final product.
My thanks also go to the Ontario Arts Council for its financial support toward the research and writing of this book.
Finally, to my partner, Deborah Windsor, my undying gratitude for her constant support.