This book has taken much longer to complete and has involved many more travails than I had ever expected. Along the way, I have tested the patience of more than one Literary Editor at the Royal Historical Society. I especially owe Aled Jones a great many thanks for his continued support and encouragement. Thank you, Aled. At the Royal Historical Society, David Eastwood was the first to help move this project forward, while Jon Lawrence has finally seen it through to completion. During the publication process, Hester Higton acted as a friendly and expert guide through the sometimes awkward problems presented by the formatting and copy-editing of Place's diary.