I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the section editors that I worked with to create this tome. They are the best and brightest in the industry. The quality of submissions and content in this book is a testament to this fact. They worked incredibly hard to bring this book together, and I thank them for their time and expertise. Also, I appreciate the time and patience that Emi Smith and Cathleen Small at Cengage Learning have put into this first-time book editor. They were essential in taking care of all the details necessary for publication. Finally, I’d like to acknowledge the artists at Valve who provided the cover image for this edition of Game Programming Gems.

I have been blessed to have had exposure to numerous inspirational individuals— friends who refused to accept norms, parents who satiated my educational desires, teachers willing to spend a few extra minutes on a random tangent, instructors to teach not just what we know about the world, but also to make me aware of the things we do not. Most importantly, I want to acknowledge my wife, Stacey Lake, who remained supportive while I toiled away in the evenings and weekends for the better part of a year on this book.

I dedicate these efforts to my mother, Amanda Lake. I thank her for teaching me that education is an enjoyable lifelong endeavor.