Acknowledgments

My gratitude for being given the opportunity and the latitude to work on this immense tome extends to Carol Long of Wiley, editor John Sleeva, Carole Jelen at Waterside Productions, Julian Hall, my partner in crime at Juniper Webcraft, and, above all, my sweet, loving, supportive, and nearly homicidal spouse Tanya Wright, all of them long-suffering and all to be commended for not actually throttling me in the course of this overlong birthing. The solid foundation of research and explication established by Danny Goodman and his past collaborators in previous editions is awesome and I am humbled to have been able to help move this great body of knowledge forward to the next step. Tia Gustaff Rayl, who with wings spread and sparks flying rode in to the rescue, has been a kick in the pants to work with; she's smart and funny, but more than that she is gifted with the precise serendipity and good taste to share a birthday with me.

–Paul Novitski

I have been blessed with the support of many people who have reviewed my work and encouraged me along the way. I could never have done any of this without the devoted support of my husband, Edward. I love him without cease and thank God for bringing him into my life. I have been blessed by the remarkable patience of an incredibly tolerant immediate and extended family, as well as amused friends, who put up with my "Hi, I love you. Don't talk to me right now." way of answering the phone and greeting visitors at the door. My husband, family and friends are the ones who sacrificed the most for this book. Thank you all. I want to thank Paul for being great to work with and for his wry sense of humor which left me on the floor laughing just when I most needed a lift. I want to thank my editor, John Sleeva, who with great patience and humor guided me through the maze of the publishing world. I also want to thank Rebecca Anderson and Maraya Cornell for forcing me to be a better writer. Finally, I want to thank Miss Bigelow, my 11th and 12th grade English teacher, who instilled within me a great respect and love for the written word.

–Tia Gustaff Rayl