This book was translated from Italian by Noor Giovanni Mazhar. In my experience, an academic translation is a collaborative process involving at least two major drafts. First there is the work done by the translator, ideally in collaboration with the author, as was the case here. Second, the text needs to be revised in light of readability, taking into account the new publishing context and academic audience. This means additional work for the author, who has to review my many edits and answer my countless questions, often consulting the translator as well. With this in mind, I was especially pleased with the final words of Roger Horowitz’s endorsement on the back cover: “the book is blessed as well with an inspired and at times lyrical translation.”

Editing David Burnett’s translation was a collaborative process between me and the author, Annelie Ramsbrock. The German was extremely complex at times, especially given the book‘s wide–ranging source base. I found myself editing not only for readability in a new context but also ironing out ambiguities and potential misunderstandings. It was slow going for me at times, and I had lots of questions for the author, whose acknowledgments included gratitude “to Mark Stoneman for his superb editing of the English text, which went beyond the normal call of duty.” Thus, I was especially gratified by Mary Jo Maynes’ observation:

The quality of the translation . . . needs to be noted. The English is smooth and readable despite the range of sources from which long quotes are drawn, and despite the many vocabularies, including technical vocabularies, that the study navigates.”

Germany History 34, no. 1 (March 2016): 161–63.

I only edited the introduction and first chapter of this translated monograph. Patricia “Casey” Sutcliffe did the rest.