Anne,
First step could be a "Who's Who" of the Quartet: a list of historical or literary characters who appeare or are alluded to in the text, to wit: Sir Richard Burton (a source for Plantagenet Strongbow), the real White Monk of Timbuktu, the O'Sullivan Beare clan, the Wallenstein...
Plus, there is the chronology I sent you, which I'm adding to as I translate Nile Shadows.
JD

--Previous Message--
: Amazing indeed. I always felt when reading the
: novels that there was a mystery to unravel.
: You know it's there but you don't know what
: it is.
:
: No doubt, as Jean-Daniel is doing, a
: scrupulous scan of every reference in the
: novels to anything obscure will unravel some
: of the threads.
:
: But one would have to be as well read as
: Whittemore to get all the meanings contained
: therein.
:
: Indeed, an annoted Whittemore would be
: excellent, but who would do it?
:
: I have always intended to create a page
: detailing all the sources, but it seems a
: huge job and time consuming to boot.
:
: If I make a start it will at least be a
: beginning, but time is the problem.
:
: Anne
: