Watching the English

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

In a break with tradition, which for some reason always puts the author's family 'last but by no means least', I want to thank, first and very much foremost, my fiance, Henry Marsh, and his children William, Sarah and Katharine. They've had to put up with three years of my stressing and obsessing over this book - and along with my mother, Liz, and sister, Anne, they read and commented on each chapter as it emerged. My sister Ellie gave me two wonderful holidays in Lebanon, which I shamelessly used as opportunities for cross-cultural research. My father, Robin Fox, deserves most of the credit for any skills I may have as a participant observer. They have all been unfailingly tolerant, helpful and encouraging. My Co-Director at the Social Issues Research Centre, Peter Marsh, gave me my first field-research job when I was seventeen, and has been my mentor and great friend ever since. Among many other kindnesses, he allowed me a semi-sabbatical from SIRC to complete this book. I am also grateful to Desmond Morris for his help, advice and insights. Watching the English is based on over a decade of research, and it would be impossible to thank everyone who has contributed, but among those who have helped me in various ways with the past three years of intensive fieldwork and writing, I would particularly like to thank Ranjit and Sara Banerji, Annalisa Barbieri, Don Barton, Krystina Belinska, Simon and Prisca Bradley, Angela Burdick, Brian Cathcart, Roger Chapman, Peter Collett, Karol Colonna-Czosnowski, Joe Connaire, James Cumes, Paul Dornan, Alana Fawcett, Vernon and Anne Gibberd, William Glaser, Susan Greenfield, Janet Hodgson, Selwyn and Lisa Jones, Jean-Louis and Voikitza Juery, Paull and Lorraine Khan, Eli Khater, Mathew Kneale, Sam Knowles, Slava and Masha Kopiev, Meg Kozera, Hester Lacey, Laurence Marsh, Tania Mathias, Roger Miles, Paula Milne, Tony Muller, Simon Nye, Geoffrey Smith, Lindsey Smith, Richard Stevens, Jamie Stevenson, Lionel Tiger, Patsy Toh and Roman Zoltowski. My thanks to everyone at Hodder amp; Stoughton, especially Rupert Lancaster, the world's kindest and most patient editor, and Kerry Hood, the nicest publicity-genius. Thanks also to Hazel Orme, the most quietly brilliant copy editor, to Julian Alexander, the most hardworking and thoughtful agent - and to Liz Fox, again, wearing her other hat as the wittiest indexer.