ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I don’t know where to start, and so I find myself taking Hamish Osborne’s advice: begin at the end.
To Laura Tisdel and the entire team at Viking: thank you for the many kindnesses shown to the author and the depth of expertise you all brought to this project in every department and at every stage of its production.
To my stalwart supporters, Sam Stoloff of the Frances Goldin Literary Agency and Rich Green of ICM Partners: I could not do this without the two of you.
To my publicist, Siobhan Olson of Feisty PR: thank you for taking on All Souls and reminding me to have fun.
To my operations manager, right arm, and co-conspirator, Jill Hough: I am so grateful for you every day and for all the many ways you make this possible.
To my gentle readers Candy, Fran, Karen, Karin, Lisa, and Jill: thank you for always saying yes when I asked if I could trouble you with another draft.
To my historical experts Karen Halttunen, Lynn Hunt, Margaret Jacob, and Karin Wulf: thank you for being so patient with an early modernist who drifted into the long eighteenth century. I pestered you with questions, peppered you with my reactions to the period, and in general made a nuisance of myself. You responded with generosity and lent your considerable expertise to this book when called upon to do so. You will all know better than anyone that the remaining mistakes are my own!
To the family and friends （two-legged and four-legged） who pick me up, dust me off, and carry me along—you know who you are: thank you for being part of my circus. My mom, Olive, can share in this experience and is a source of joy as well as inspiration. Thanks, Mom, for always being my biggest cheerleader.
To my Karen, no words could ever express how much your support and love make this all possible.
First, and last, this book is dedicated to the memory of my beloved father, John Campbell Harkness （1936–2015）， whose roots extended down into the soil of Pelham and Hadley, who lived much of his life in Philadelphia, and who shared his love of history with me.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Harkness is the number one New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life. A history professor at the University of Southern California, Harkness has received Fulbright, Guggenheim, and National Humanities Center fellowships.