This book is the culmination ol many years of study and the examination of thousands of paperweights. It also reflects the research and work done by many scholars and experts in the field of paperweights.

I would like to extend my gratitude to the following institutions, which have allowed us to include photographs of objects from their collections: the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum, Perthshire Paperweights, Saint Mary of the Barrens Seminary, Lundberg Studios, The Corning Museum of Glass, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Illinois State Museum, and the New York Historical Society, as well as numerous private collectors.

I am grateful to Paul Jokelson, T. H. Clarke, Paul Hollister, and Stuart Drysdale for their advice and valuable historical perspectives on the history and art of paperweight making. I wish to thank George Kulles, Dwight Lanmon, and Jerold Gard for critical readings of the text. Also, I would like to acknowledge the following institutions for making their archives and collections available and for their research assistance: Cris- talleries de Baccarat, The Corning Museum of Glass, and Lyons Ltd.

I thank the following contemporary paperweight artists for granting us interviews and providing us with information about modern paperweight production: Paul Stankard, Lundberg Studios, Parabelle Glass, David Salazar, James Shaw, Chris Buzzini, Randall Grubb, and Barry Sautner.

Finally I wish to thank Nikki Silva for researching this book; Jenny D’Angelo for editing the manuscript; Stephen Pollard for his typographi­cal expertise; Lorraine Leung for designing the publication; and Lizann Keyes for proofreading; Franklin Avery, Paul Schraub, Covello Studios, and Nese Photography for the photographs; and the entire staff of L. H. Selman Ltd. and Paperweight Press for their dedication and hard work.