The National Maritime Museum has always reached its audiences through its superb collections and its flourishing exhibition, education, research and publication programmes. Our long commitment to working with scholars from a range of academic disciplines and institutions has made a significant contribution to our efforts to make maritime and imperial history accessible to more people, and to keep it fresh and relevant to specialist and nonspecialist alike.

Maritime Empires is another step along the way, opening up and exploring the relationship between the British Empire and Britain’s maritime history. A conference of the same name, jointly organised by the Museum and Goldsmiths College, University of London, was held at Greenwich in the summer of 2001. Both the book and the conference are telling illustrations of what can result from universities and museums working together on academic projects.

I am delighted that this collaboration has produced such a significant contribution to knowledge about imperial history, especially since the research bridges two rich and fascinating dimensions of that subject that are too often regarded in isolation.

A great many people have been involved and not all can be named here. I would, though, like to extend my gratitude to everyone for their highly effective teamwork and close collaboration. Our contributors have made the work of the editors considerably easier by producing excellent essays to the dates agreed. Professor David Killingray, of Goldsmiths College, one of the joint editors of the book, gave generously of his time in programming the original conference with Museum staff. Dr Margarette Lincoln and Dr Nigel Rigby have shared the editing load, while Helen Jones and her team at the Museum organised the conference with their usual efficiency and style. Jean Patrick and Karen Scadeng produced the bibliography, while Rachel Giles, Fiona Renkin and Eleanor Dryden of our publications department have worked closely with Peter Sowden of Boydell & Brewer to see the book through to completion. I thank them all and commend this compelling volume.