Page 535 - The Secret Museum

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make this book.

I couldn’t have written it without the help of so many fantastic curators and
museums. Thank you for your generosity, and for showing me around the backrooms,
basements and storage cupboards of your collections. I’ve had the most wonderful

time learning from and exploring with you all.

Thank you John Mitchinson – the brightest shining star ever! Since the evening we
broke down in your car, on the way back to Great Tew, and talked about the idea
whilst walking to your friend’s house to get petrol you’ve been so kind and
wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your amazing advice and help.
Thanks also to Rach.

Thank you to Hennie Haworth for bringing this book to life with your beautiful
illustrations, firstly from Kyoto, when we’d only met via Skype, then from your home
in the British Museum, and later with Theo toddling alongside you. Sending you

chapters and then receiving back beautiful illustrations of things I’d seen was really
magical. Thank you.
A massive thanks to the fabulous Zoë Waldie for great advice, encouragement

over cups of tea, and for taking my book proposal to just the right place. Thank you to
Ele Simpson for introducing me to Zoë.

Thank you Hannah MacDonald for believing in the book. Your ideas and input
have been invaluable, and I’ve so enjoyed working with you and your team at
Collins. Thank you Craig Adams for spot-on advice and Georgina Atsiaris for
juggling all the different things that went into making this book – I’d probably still be
thinking about finishing this book if it wasn’t for your excellent plans of action. For
the beautiful design I have Martin Topping and Lucy Sykes-Thompson to thank – I

couldn’t have imagined it turning out as perfectly as it has, thank you so much.

Thank you to Giulia Hetherington for sourcing the perfect photographs, Sarah Day
for copy-editing – even when on holiday – and Sarah Patel and the publicity team.
Thank you all so much for making it happen.

Thank you John Lloyd for giving me such a fantastic job at QI from day one. I
knew I wanted to do something ‘interesting’ but that was all, so thanks a million for
finding me and allowing me to do just that. Thanks to James Harkin for coming to
museums with me, when the book was just an idea, high fives also to Dan Schreiber,

and Justin Pollard – thanks guys – and to Flash, Sarah L, Sarah C, Liz and everyone
at QI.
Thank you to my beautiful mum, dad, family and grandparents. I’ve loved writing

lots of this sitting beside you, Grandpa, with you asking questions and reading bits
and pieces. Thanks to my lovely friends, especially Jarad and Francesca for checking