Acknowledgments

This book has its origins in knowledge created, found and gathered elsewhere—methods and mechanisms honed over decades or centuries. It could not have been written without the inventions it describes, as you will see.

At Manning, Ian Hough and Andy Waldron in Acquisitions took a chance on this rather unusual book, helping to shape its contents and structure. My patient development editor, Doug Rudder, shepherded the book through development and writing. Bojan Stovanović, my technical editor, and Benjamin Berg, LaTeX expert, came to the rescue with my frequent typesetting problems. The production team polished the book into what you’re reading today.

Finally, I’d like to thank the reviewers: Charles Mike Shelton, Christopher Villanueva, Darrin Bishop, Eddy Vluggen, Enric Garcia Torrents, Fatih Ozer, Giampiero Granatella, Howard Bandy, James J. Byleckie, Jaume Lopez, Jeff Neumann, Jens Christian B. Madsen, Jeremy Bryan, Jose Alberto Reyes Quevedo, Kathleen R. Estrada, Lewis Van Winkle, Manu Sareena, Manuel Ciosici, Roberto Hirata Jr., Romain Jouin, Tim Wooldridge, To Tuan Nghia, Tony Dubitsky, and Ubaldo Pescatore, as well as the Manning Early Access Program customers for their time and invaluable comments on earlier drafts of the manuscript. Their suggestions helped make this a better book.