The prologue explains all. From Julius Ceasar, Cleopatra, Marc Antony, Marie Antoinette (even Alice of Wonderland fame), with Picasso, Peggy Guggenheim, Agatha Christie, Hemingway and Patricia Highsmith thrown into stew, we think the reader will find something new. As for fellow devotees of the movie,
Casablanca
, the author begs indulgence.