Ever since I heard the news of the Royal Swedish Academy's decision, and even since arriving in Stockholm, with its flags flying and flames leaping, I have not been able to shake off a feeling of unreality.
I had now acquired a good knowledge of X-ray diffraction, not only through my own work, but through having helped James check the proofs of his fine book - The Optical Principles of the Diffraction of X-rays - still a standard work.