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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S The research and writing of this book were supported by a grant from the American Philosophical Society and by grants from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Vermont. The final stages of writing were carried out in the idyllic surroundings of the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France. I am grateful for this support, and particularly to the directors and staff of the Camargo Foundation and the fellows in residence there in spring 2010. I thank also the direction and staffs of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Archives nationales de France, the Institut de recherche et d’histoire des textes, and the Bibliothèque Mazarine in Paris, as well as of the University of Vermont Bailey/Howe Library (especially Barbara Lamonda and the staff of Interlibrary Loan). Ghislain Brunel, conservateur en chef of the Section ancienne at the Archives nationales, merits special gratitude for graciously facilitating access to original documents. Cecilia Gaposchkin (my partner in Capetian crime) read and improved the first draft of the entire book and never failed to keep up her end of our sanity-preserving virtual chatter. Robert E. Lerner meticulously critiqued the penultimate draft. More than that, his support of this project from beginning to end was essential, as was his generosity with sources, insights, and bibliography. Elizabeth A. R. Brown answered countless questions and went over my translations of the trial documents with a fine-toothed comb, saving me from many errors in the process. Suggestions and criticisms from the two anonymous readers for the press were also greatly appreciated. Others who kindly read chapters include Charles F. Briggs, William J. Courtenay, Jennifer K. Deane, Larry F. Field, Walter Simons, Julien Théry, and Ian Wei. My colleagues in the Department of History at UVM read the introduction ix for a faculty research seminar and improved it with their comments. I owe many thanks to other scholars as well for their help and advice, including Christine Caldwell Ames, Nicole Bériou, John Bollweg, Louisa Burnham, Olivier Canteaut, Anne Clark, Olivia Remie Constable, Xa vier Hélary, William C. Jordan, Kathryn Kerby-Fulton, Deeana Klepper , Zan Kocher, Pascal Montaubin, Sébastien Nadiras, Barbara Newman , Mark Pegg, Sylvain Piron, Jenny Sisk, and Justine Trombley. I particularly thank Larry Field for translation advice and for a prosecuting attorney’s perspective on these trials. Whatever strengths the book possesses are due in great measure to these scholars’ generosity. Only its shortcomings are uniquely my own. A version of chapter 3 was presented to the Group de Travail sur les Derniers Capétiens at the Université de Paris-Sorbonne in April 2010. I thank Xavier Hélary for the invitation, and the members of this group for their criticisms. Work in progress was also presented to the Colloque internationale Marguerite Porete, held at Paris from 30 May to 1 June 2010. I thank the participants of this conference for stimulating discussion. A volume based in part on this conference is forthcoming, from which I am grateful to have been able to consult prepublication versions of William J. Courtenay’s “Marguerite’s Judges: The University of Paris in 1310” and Robert E. Lerner’s “Addenda on an Angel.” I also thank the students in my 2005, 2007, and 2009 History 224 seminars at the University of Vermont, who enthusiastically entered the world of Marguerite Porete. In a very real way, their questions and insights helped to shape this book, and their enthusiasm for the subject convinced me that it was worth writing. At the University of Notre Dame Press I owe a great deal to Barbara Hanrahan, who supported this project from its inception. Stephen Little stepped in at a crucial moment and saw it through to publication . Rebecca DeBoer and the entire editorial and production team have long had my respect and thanks, and Elisabeth Magnus strengthened the book with fine copyediting. Finally, my family. My parents Larry and Tammy Field and my brother Nicholas have given me their unflagging support. Kristen Johanson , I hope, knows just how much of this book belongs to her. And perhaps Cecilia and Romare will read it some day (or at least stumble across the dedication) and think back to that spring semester by the sea. x Acknowledgments ...

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