Acknowledgements
This research was completed under the supervision of Dr. Douglas J. Hayward of the Cook School of Intercultural Studies. I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Hayward for his valuable input and guidance at many points along the way.
A project of this sort cannot be completed without the assistance of numerous friends and colleagues. Thanks are due to Buba Kudava, Amiran Akhaladze, Mariam Khutunishvili, Tamar Zhgenti, and to all of their colleagues at the National Centre of Manuscripts in Tbilisi, who very graciously allowed me to study these manuscripts over a period of several years and to reproduce many images from their collection to illustrate this book. Thanks are also due to the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia for enabling me to study two rare copies of the Kmnulebis Codnis C’igni of Vakht’ang VI, and to the Niko Berdzanishvili Kutaisi State History Museum, for permission to use two illustrations from their collection. The assistance of Georgian friends has proved invaluable. These include Irakli Simonia, Tamar Abuladze, Tsitsia Abuladze, Valik’o Borch’ashvili, Davit Chanadiri, Makine (Maya) Khizanishvili Smith, Nino Khonelidze, and Roin Metreveli. Thanks are also due to John Bahnke, Arthur J. Bonds, Cynthia E. Carlson, Lenise Cook, Peter Cowe, Vatche Ekmejian, Sonja Gippert-Fritz, David W. Grove, James Hampson, Tony Hanmer, James K. Hoffmeier, Victor Khalil, Rumen Kolev, Stanley Krippner, Norman O. Kurz, Sergio La Porta, Stacte Lê, Roger Lundin, Amy Obrist, Bernard Outtier, Steven Rapp, Ivo Romein, Jerry Root, Jefferson Sauter, Robert Schmidt, Vache Sevajian, Marijane Carr Siegal, Richard Starcher, Brandy Steele, Daniel Stevens, Kevin Tuite, and John Walford. I would also like to acknowledge the faithfulness, companionship, and encouragement of my little dog Lucky (1998-2018). Requiescat in pace.