Writing a book about a program as sprawling and complex as Excel is a labor of love (love of pain, that is). I'm deeply indebted to a whole host of people who helped out with this edition and the two previous ones. They include Nellie McKesson, Brian Sawyer, Peter Meyers, Sarah Milstein, and technical reviewers Zack Barresse and Rhea Howard. I also owe thanks to many people who worked to get this book formatted, indexed, and printed—you can meet many of them on the Missing Credits page.

Completing this book required a few sleepless nights (and many sleep-deprived days). I extend my love and thanks to my daughters Maya and Brenna, who put up with it without crying most of the time, my dear wife Faria, who mostly did the same, and our moms and dads (Nora, Razia, Paul, and Hamid), who contributed hours of babysitting, tasty meals, and general help around the house that kept this book on track. So thanks everyone—without you half of the book would still be trapped inside my brain!