The essays gathered in this volume are a reflection of the breadth of the historical community that wishes to pay tribute to a scholar whose remarkable chronological range is rivalled only by the wide extent of his generosity, expressed in so many ways, to fellow workers in the field. The contributors include four who have been successively Director of the Centre of East Anglian Studies at the University of East Anglia, who would all wish to thank Norman for his unstinting support over many years. There are essays, too, from those who have collaborated with him in fostering, in his beloved county of Suffolk, an enviable tradition of publication, both of editions through the medium of the Suffolk Record Society and of learned articles in the Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History. Many of the contributors have benefited personally both from his expertise and from his very practical help. Norman, however, has always been adamant that local and regional history should not be merely parochial or antiquarian, and his determination to set Suffolk, in every age, in the context of a wider world is reflected in contributions from a former Keeper of the Public Records and three professors of the University of Oxford. The essays also reflect Norman's insistence, before it became fashionable, on the equal importance of written records and material remains in the interpretation of the past. The theme of the single paper not East Anglian in inspiration is a reflection of the honorand's own military service and historical account of the crucial campaign in which he fought.

The editors are grateful to all those who have given permission for the reproduction of illustrations; to Mrs Jenni Tanimoto for her work in harmonising the text on word processor; and to the staff of Boydell and Brewer for their customary care and efficiency in the production of the volume.