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Acknowledgments This book is the product of over a decade of research, reflection, writing , rewriting, and professional development, and as a result my debts are many. I first must thank Marcia Colish, who through her unique combination of gravitas and passion, sparked my interest in medieval history at Oberlin College. She continues to provide an example of scholarship and teaching to which I will always aspire. I began studying twelth-century thought and culture at the University of California, Berkeley, where the list of those who provided support and assistance would take up more space than I have here. Above all, thanks go to my graduate advisor, the late Gerard E. Caspary, who at all times showed intellectual generosity toward and interest in this book and its author. Also at Berkeley, the late Robert Brentano taught me how to lift up the corners of medieval texts and peer inside, Ralph Hexter immeasurably improved my translations of medieval Latin, and Geoffrey Koziol, more than anyone else, showed me by example what one must do to do history well. It was Richard Sharpe who first suggested I work on Peter of Blois, and I gratefully acknowledge the suggestion here. Among my peers (and I use the term sheepishly), I especially thank Bill North and Jay Rubenstein for assisting me in all aspects of my career. Many others have made suggestions or provided opportunities for discussion about the High Middle Ages over the years, including Michael Clanchy, Robin Fleming, John Gillingham, Julian Harrison, Paul Hyams, Paul Kershaw, Chris Lewis, Jinty Nelson, Bruce O’Brien, David Spear, Ralph Turner, Sally Vaughn, Carl Watkins, and Grover Zinn. Nicholas Vincent and Hugh Thomas read the entire manuscript with heroic thoroughness—for any errors that remain I bear sole responsibility. I am also deeply grateful to David McGonagle of the Catholic University of America Press, for overseeing the metamorphosis of the manuscript into a book. Portions of this book have been published previously, in somewhat primitive form. Parts of chapter 4 were published in Anglo-Norman Studies , vol. 27, and Haskins Society Journal, vol. 13, and snippets from chapter 5 appeared in Haskins Society Journal, vol.10.The Boydell Press,publisher of ix x Acknowledgments both journals, kindly granted permission for this material to be reprinted here. Various institutions have assisted the completion of this book, in various ways. I received financial support for research and travel from the Department of History and the Medieval Studies Program at Berkeley, from the Colorado College, and from Grinnell College, where the Office of Aademic Affairs provided funds for travel to London and Paris. The dean of faculty at Whitman College and the history department at the same institution also provided support for travel to the United Kingdom. In addition, I must thank the staffs of the Doe Library and the Graduate Theological Union Library in Berkeley, and the Green Library at Stanford University, for myriad forms of assistance. Across the Atlantic, the staffs of the Parker Library of Corpus Christi College and the University Library in Cambridge; the Duke Humphrey’s Reading Room at the Bodleian Library in Oxford; Lambeth Palace Library, the British Library Manuscript Room, the Institute of Historical Research, and the Warburg Institute in London; and at the Salle de Lecteur of the Département des Manuscrits Occidentaux at the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris provided invaluable services. Back in the United States, I have found welcoming environments in several academic homes, for which I thank Carol Neel and the history department at Colorado College, Marci Sortor and the history department at Grinnell College, and David Schmitz and the rest of my department at Whitman College. I also owe a great deal to friends both inside and outside of academia. Those who cannot pass without mention include Paul Apostolidis, Julian Bourg, Jana Byars,Timothy Cheek, Laura Cruz, Dallas Denery, George Drake, Matthew Gerber, Doug Monroy, Jeanne Morefield, Sam Moyn, Kyra Nourse, Clementine Oliver, Tina Sessa, Don Smith, Lynn Sharp, and Max Withers. In California, a lifeline to the real world was provided by Monica Bouchier, Ryan Torres, and Lidia Wenczel. For tea, sympathy, and cocktails in the middle of the cornfields, I will always be thankful to Mary Burke, John Fennell, Jennifer Green, and Simone Sidwell. In Walla Walla, my academic bubble was magnificently shattered by Benjamin Boehm, Reggie Gonzales, Sarah Koenigsberg, Dave Laufenburg, and Julie Wallace. Finally I must show my appreciation to my parents, Bill and Carol Cotts. They not only tolerated but encouraged...

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