acknowledgments
The English priest and writer Charles Caleb Colton once wrote that “there are three difficulties in authorship: to write something worth publishing, to find honest people to publish it, and to get sensible people to read it.” Only time and the Amazon review process will tell whether this book was worth publishing. And since you’re here, I have to assume that you’re one of the sensible people who’s going to read it. In between these two, however, I needed to find honest people to publish my manuscript, and that turned out to be the good folks at Manning, who are honest, for sure, but also hardworking, dedicated, and competent.
I’m sure the editors of novels and memoirs have their hands full whipping their manuscripts into shape but spare a moment for the poor editors of computer books. Not only do they have to make sure that a computer book reads well and isn’t festooned with spelling errors and grammatical gaffes, but they also must ensure that the book is technically accurate. Why? Because even the teensiest authorial (or editorial) lapse could result in a book that sows confusion and consternation rather than certainty and delight.