The welcome given to my previous book, "Dover; a Perambulation," encouraged me to proceed with "The Annals of Dover," a work to which the former was a natural introduction. In the "Perambulation" I narrated the historical association of things which meet the eye in walking the streets and climbing the heights of Dover; but the "Annals" go deeper into local history, telling the story of the Town, Port and Fortress as fully as the limits of one volume will permit.<br><br>In considering the order in which these "Annals" should be recorded, it had to be remembered that Dover presents many phases, and that, for centuries, many of its institutions have had their special spheres of operation; therefore, I have arranged the Annals in nine sections, under which the histories of the Castle, the Port, the Passage, Religion, the Corporation, the Mayors and their Times, Officers of the Corporation, Dover in Parliament, and Social Life are given.<br><br>In gathering my materials I have been aided by the many manuscripts stored in the Dover Corporation's Muniment Cabinet, and other records of Dover which are preserved in the British Museum and the Record Office.