work, to Hede Hauser for her expert translations of various texts, to Mr.
Christopher White, former Chairman of the Penn-Pennsylvania Trust for
materials supplied, his knowledge and his enthusiasm and to Mr. T. B. Powell
for many hours of discussion regarding Le Rossignol. Thanks also to Dr. Ben
Marsden and the Royal Society editorial team for their expert guidance during
the submission of my paper, the eventual publication of which was hugely
influential in promoting an interest in the full biography.
Thanks also to Professors Bretislav Friedrich and Gerard Meijer at the
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin for their interest in
the Le Rossignol story and their invitations to speak to the Haber family and
friends in Berlin on 16 May 2017, and later at the sesquicentennial of
Haber’s birthday at Harnack House, Berlin on 10 December 2018. And, to
Professor Friedrich in particular, thank you for kindly introducing my work
to Springer Publishing. I must also mention my editors (in chronological
order!), Sabine Lehr and Angela Lahee, whose guidance, patience and
understanding made the preparation of the text as stress free as possible.
The issue of copyright ownership regarding material published in this book
has been a major concern for both Springer and myself. Consequently,
strenuous efforts have been made to trace ownership wherever possible, and to
attribute such material accordingly. In most cases, I have succeeded, but
sometimes—where material dates back to the turn of the last century,
appearing on the web as ‘copyright unknown’—it has proved impossible.
Such material has only been included when it has direct relevance to the
story.
Finally, becoming a biographer has long been a dream for this author, but
as a novice, I could hardly have picked a more difficult subject in Robert Le
Rossignol! Over the 8 years or so it took to research and write his story,
everyone involved played their part. I thank each one of you, whether
recognised or not, for helping make a dream come true.
Cowbridge, UK
Deri Sheppard
2020
Acknowledgements
xv
Christopher White, former Chairman of the Penn-Pennsylvania Trust for
materials supplied, his knowledge and his enthusiasm and to Mr. T. B. Powell
for many hours of discussion regarding Le Rossignol. Thanks also to Dr. Ben
Marsden and the Royal Society editorial team for their expert guidance during
the submission of my paper, the eventual publication of which was hugely
influential in promoting an interest in the full biography.
Thanks also to Professors Bretislav Friedrich and Gerard Meijer at the
Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin for their interest in
the Le Rossignol story and their invitations to speak to the Haber family and
friends in Berlin on 16 May 2017, and later at the sesquicentennial of
Haber’s birthday at Harnack House, Berlin on 10 December 2018. And, to
Professor Friedrich in particular, thank you for kindly introducing my work
to Springer Publishing. I must also mention my editors (in chronological
order!), Sabine Lehr and Angela Lahee, whose guidance, patience and
understanding made the preparation of the text as stress free as possible.
The issue of copyright ownership regarding material published in this book
has been a major concern for both Springer and myself. Consequently,
strenuous efforts have been made to trace ownership wherever possible, and to
attribute such material accordingly. In most cases, I have succeeded, but
sometimes—where material dates back to the turn of the last century,
appearing on the web as ‘copyright unknown’—it has proved impossible.
Such material has only been included when it has direct relevance to the
story.
Finally, becoming a biographer has long been a dream for this author, but
as a novice, I could hardly have picked a more difficult subject in Robert Le
Rossignol! Over the 8 years or so it took to research and write his story,
everyone involved played their part. I thank each one of you, whether
recognised or not, for helping make a dream come true.
Cowbridge, UK
Deri Sheppard
2020
Acknowledgements
xv