Acknowledgments

It takes a lot of work and energy to create a book. Some of that is obvious; after all, pages don’t just write themselves. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. If you received the first version of the content I wrote with no editing, no review, no professional typesetting, and so on, I suspect you’d be pretty disappointed.

As with previous editions, it’s been a pleasure working with the team at Manning. Richard Wattenberger has provided guidance and suggestions with just the right combination of insistence and understanding, thereby shaping the content through multiple iterations. (In particular, working out the best approach to use for C# 2–4 proved surprisingly challenging.) I would also like to thank Mike Stephens and Marjan Bace for supporting this edition from the start.

Beyond the structure of the book, the review process is crucial to keeping the content accurate and clear. Ivan Martinovic organized the peer reviewing process and obtained great feedback from Ajay Bhosale, Andrei Rînea, Andy Kirsch, Brian Rasmussen, Chris Heneghan, Christos Paisios, Dmytro Lypai, Ernesto Cardenas, Gary Hubbard, Jassel Holguin Calderon, Jeremy Lange, John Meyer, Jose Luis Perez Vila, Karl Metivier, Meredith Godar, Michal Paszkiewicz, Mikkel Arentoft, Nelson Ferrari, Prajwal Khanal, Rami Abdelwahed, and Willem van Ketwicha. I’m indebted to Dennis Sellinger for his technical editing and to Eric Lippert for technical proofreading. I want to highlight Eric’s contributions to every edition of this book, which have always gone well beyond technical corrections. His insight, experience, and humor have been significant and unexpected bonuses throughout the whole process.

Content is one thing; good-looking content is another. Lori Weidert managed the complex production process with dedication and understanding. Sharon Wilkey performed copyediting with skill and the utmost patience. The typesetting and cover design were done by Marija Tudor, and I can’t express what a joy it is to see the first typeset pages; it’s much like the first (successful) dress rehearsal of a play you’ve been working on for months.

Beyond the people who’ve contributed directly to the book, I naturally need to thank my family for continuing to put up with me over the last few years. I love my family. They rock, and I’m grateful.

Finally, none of this would matter if no one wanted to read the book. Thank you for your interest, and I hope your investment of time into this book pays off.