Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge the many substantial contributions to this edition of Mary Ellen Lamb. It was she who crystalized the insight that the transition from the romance to the novel was related to the connection between Artabella’s romance and Arthenia’s history. She also drafted early versions of the appendices on historical names and places and on characters’ names and assisted in checking my transcription against the manuscript and microfilm.  More than that, she sorted out recto and verso for the folios and always responded promptly and in good humor to my many emails. To William Gentrup, I also owe many debts. He copyedited this edition, making invaluable recommendations on typesetting. His proofreading contributed to the quality of the transcription. In addition, he is responsible for the observation that because the manuscript ends precisely at the bottom of the page and is right justified, there may have been additional pages that are missing.

I have been very fortunate in having the support of two Directors of the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Robert Bjork, who initially contracted this edition for ACMRS Press and Ayanna Thompson, who oversaw the completion of this edition as General Editor. Thanks as well to Roy Rukkila, Managing Editor, and to Todd Halvorsen, Manager of Design and Production at ACMRS Press.

I am indebted to the Newberry Library, Chicago, IL for permitting me to transcribe and edit this manuscript. At my request, Jill Gage, Custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing and Bibliographer for British Literature and History, oversaw the foliation of Rivall Friendship. Lia Markey, Director of the Renaissance Center, has encouraged this project.  Arizona State University, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Newberry Library helped in financing my research on this transcription.

My thanks also to my gifted graduate students, Teresa Tinkle and Margaret Sullivan, and to my sons, Robert and Peter Brink, for their assistance in transcribing Rivall Friendship.  I acknowledge as well the support and assistance of Dan Brink, to whom this edition is dedicated, and who more than once retrieved this transcription of Rivall Friendship from the innards of a computer.