ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My main thanks, as ever, go to Carolyn for supporting me through the writing process and then carefully reading through and com¬menting on the final product. I would also like to thank Chris Impiglia for letting me read his dissertation on the defences of Malta at the time of the siege. And Isabel Picomell provided some very useful background detail on the historical setting and together with Robin Carter checked through the final draft for me. Thanks to all.