acknowledgments
When I started writing this book, I thought it would take about a year. What a fool I was! It’s taken three years, and I’m very proud and satisfied with the result. I think I’ve struck a neat balance between theory and practice and between intuition and formalism, which isn’t always easy to do.
I thank my wife, Teresa, for supporting all my crazy ideas and projects. I love you (for better reasons than your support for this book!). I also thank my mother, Ana; father, Quique; and sister, Julia, for their constant support throughout my life. My need to understand why things are the way they are and what we can do to change them comes from them.
Next, a huge thanks to Manning for investing the time, effort, patience, and money to make this book possible. Among the Manning team, Frances Lefkowitz deserves a special mention. Without her, the book would be completely different. But not only that: she also made this long journey of writing rewarding in its own right. Her teachings and perspective have changed how I communicate with others in my daily work. (She is probably thinking about how these same sentences should be rephrased!) It has been a real pleasure to work with you, Frances. I would also like to thank the Manning production team who worked diligently behind the scenes to shepherd this book into its final format.