Dear sir, in the last years I became a passionate reader of your novels, and as I began my Cornwell experiences with the Arthur books, I would like to make a remark about two little mistakes. The one is that Derfel says in the beginning, the story of Arthur begins in the year 480 AD, according to Samsun, which is 1233 AUC. Perhaps other people have already mentioned to you that counting the years as anno domini was proposed by Dionysius Exiguus in 525. The second small remark refers to Merlin stroking cats. Cats as domestic animals in Europe became popular only when the returning crusaders brought them with them. In the times before domestic cats were (in Europe beyond the alps) very rare (and precious). But of course it may be possible, that wildcats in the European woods followed men and hunted in their stables and magazines (like – for examples – swallows do) and Merlin accustomed them to himself. I am greeting with kind regards – Gerold Wallner