Over the years I spent completing this book, I incurred debts of gratitude with many scholars and friends. Since it all started with my Ph. D. dissertation at the Warburg Institute, with its marvellous library, vibe and community, I cannot but begin with thanking my supervisor, Jill Kraye, for her untiring support and encouragement, and my examiners, Kate Lowe and Simon Ditchfield, for their insightful remarks. I am happily indebted to Claudia Daniotti, Stephen Parkin and Madeline McMahon, three learned friends who patiently read and commented on various drafts of the book, helping to improve style and contents. I am also much obliged to Andrew Pettegree for endorsing the work of a new author and including it in the Library of the Written Word book series.
My warmest thanks go to my former tutors in Milan, Lodovica Braida and Claudia Di Filippo, and to Anthony Grafton, Angela Nuovo, François Dupuigrenet Desroussilles, Gigliola Fragnito, Alastair Hamilton, Martin Davies, Guido Giglioni, Gian Mario Cao, Margaret Meserve, Stefano Prandi, Stefan Bauer, Cristina Dondi, Matteo Al Kalak, Filippo De Vivo, Vincenzo Lavenia, Stefania Pastore, Margherita Palumbo, Marcello Simonetta, Alessandro Morandotti, Francesco Ammannati, Allegra Iafrate, Cesare Santus, Federico Zuliani, Giuliano Mori, Marco Iacovella, Anita Sganzerla, Lorenzo Coccoli, Geri Della Rocca de Candal and David Speranzi for their advice. It was a privilege to share ideas and information with four other scholars fascinated by Cervini: Raphaële Mouren, Chiara Quaranta, Giacomo Cardinali and Sam Kennerley. I am also grateful to Carlo Ginzburg, Adriano Prosperi, Massimo Firpo, Jane Everson, Ian Maclean, Carlo Ossola and Corrado Bologna, from whom I had the chance to receive some challenging and inspiring inputs. Needless to say, the errors still spoiling the following pages are all due to myself.
My research could not be accomplished without the generous sponsorship awarded by the AHRC, the Bibliographical Society and the Swiss Confederation as well as the short-term fellowships of the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, the Institut d’Histoire de la Réformation in Geneva and the Firestone Library in Princeton. Equally essential was the help of the personnel of the libraries and archives where I worked, including, most notably, Paolo Vian and Pier Paolo Piergentili of the Vatican Archive, Aldo Coletto of the Braidense Library in Milan and Piero Marchi of the Archivio di Stato in Florence. I owe a great deal to the Coccoli, the Vannucchi-Burke, the Allen and the Boulden families for welcoming me in their lovely houses in Rome, Florence and London during my research stays. Last but certainly not least, I am deeply grateful to my extended family, especially Sofia for her always-inquiring mind and witty partnership in life. In appreciation of all they gifted me with, I dedicate this book to Anna, Marcella and Louise, extraordinary women who departed too soon.