Aliens in the Backyard: Plant and Animal Imports into America

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments This book could not have been written without the help of others. I wish to thank the Virginia Military Institute for encouraging me to pursue a topic only tangentially related to my professional interests and the Jackson-Hope Committee for the generous support and confidence in giving me my first-ever sabbatical . The late Elizabeth Hostetter of the VMI Preston Library was both a helpful colleague, by attaining interlibrary loan materials, and a joy to visit. Diane Jacob and Mary Laura Kludy of the VMI Archives helped me obtain the illustrations that appear in the text. My copy editor, Monica McGee, has been invaluable: her professional and perceptive edits have refined my text and improved the book. My sisters, Cheves and Elizabeth, kindly read a rough draft of this book, their comments and suggestions improving it greatly; any remaining mistakes or infelicities are mine. My son, Edward, continues to inspire me to discover the stories behind the plants and animals we see on our walks together, and I enjoy revealing to Isabella les plantes et les animeaux qui sont, comme elle, moitie europeane et moitie americaine. This page intentionally left blank Aliens in the Backyard This page intentionally left blank ...