Some authors also deserve special mention. Jennifer Westwood’s Albion: A Guide to Legendary Britain is possibly the only encyclopedia I’ve ever read cover to cover with intense pleasure. Lynn H. Nicholas’s The Rape of Europa provided a complete picture of the Nazi pillage of European art—which I then blithely changed to suit my purposes. And the books of Charles Walker provided a useful compendium of every possible paranormal conspiracy theory on the planet. I took the story of the Nazi witches from The Demonic Connection by Walker, Toyne Newton and Alan Brown. I adapted Mormo’s prayer from Francis King’s Sexuality, Magic and Perversion, quoted in Walker.

Finally, my personal thanks to my agents, Barney Karpfinger—who provided immensely helpful suggestions for the book’s third draft—and Frank Wuliger and his crew at Innovative Artists; to Ann Patty for her brilliant edit and advice; and, as always, to my wife, Ellen, for aid, comfort, support, patience, criticism and dinner.