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By Root 1151 0

in Amman, with whom I roamed over deep questions concerning the Arab world and the Arabic language; Mamdouh Anis and Christian Koch in Abu Dhabi, from whom I learned how to keep a book on track. In England I am grateful to David Batson, with his knowledge of the early church; Richard Stoneman, for his expert knowledge of Greece and Turkey; Geoffrey Best, for his friendship over many years; and Roy Douglas, who helped me to decipher images. Among many others who have “been there” with advice, help, or company when I needed it, I want to mention in particular Mohammad Cherki and Djaffar Hadji, who introduced me to the new literature of Algeria; Angelica Hamilton, whose constant verve and enthusiasm stopped me doubting the whole enterprise; Nagdi Madbouli, on whom I tested Arabic meanings; Andrew Sobić and Alec Stanković, with whom I talked endlessly about the Balkans; and finally Freddie Merle and Charlie Seddon, the good companions.

In Granada, many years ago, Don Jésus Bermudez Pareja and Srta. Angelina Morena allowed me to roam in the archives of the Alhambra, and gave me introductions to the other archives in the city. Through them also I found my way into the mountains, to the Alpujarras, the last redoubt of the Moriscos. Those experiences have colored my life and career ever since.

Two museums were invaluable for the part of the book that deals with the printed word. The first was the Musée de l’Imprimerie de Lyon, established with the guidance of Henri-Jean Martin, and the other the Gutenberg Museum, Mainz. Sadly, my visit to the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp had to be canceled. These museums were most helpful to me and they offer a unique opportunity to get a clear sense of the world of print. This is especially true for the first three centuries and all the processes that then went into the making of books.

I want to express my continuing gratitude for access to the world of old books through the Library of Congress and the Folger Library in Washington, D.C.; the Sterling, Beinecke, and Seeley G. Mudd libraries at Yale; and the Wilson Library at the University of Minnesota. Also the University Library at Texas Tech University, where I have worked happily over a number of years. Closer to home much of my work has been done in the British Library, with the book collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum and in the School of Oriental and African Studies in London; at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh; in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, and the Library of the University of Leeds. Cambridge University Library, the Library of the Warburg Institute, and the Special Collections of the University of Edinburgh Library have been invaluable sources of material.

In Vienna, the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek proved a treasure trove for the early images of the infidels. I have also had the benefit of using the resources of ENSSIB in Lyon. On other visits I have benefited from IRCICA in Istanbul, and the Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan. But I have two special debts that should be acknowledged. The first is to Dr. Jamal S. Al-Suwaidi, who invited me to work at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) on a number of occasions over a period of four years. I benefited a great deal not only from using their excellent library, but also from Jamal Al-Suwaidi’s advice and interest in my work. The second is closer to home, in Stirling. Not only has the university given me generous sabbatical leave, but the work of the staff in the library at Stirling has been far above the call of duty. I think I hold the university record for interlibrary loans. This has meant that with a topic covering so many different areas and languages, I have been able to spend the time reading and writing that I had previously spent in traveling. This library cannot compare in the size of its holdings with larger institutions, but what it stocks has been well chosen. And there were many surprises. When a much larger library did not have the mid-nineteenth-century volumes of Punch that I needed, I found them sitting