Flexible Typesetting Acknowledgements
Thanks to friends and family who worked with me and supported me as I wrote Flexible Typesetting. These acknowledgements are from the back of the book.
Since A Book Apart opened its doors for business, I have admired these books. It’s an honor and a privilege to have written one. My thanks to Jeffrey Zeldman for setting himself apart — for striking a helpful, caring tone in his writings; for fiercely advocating for openness, collaboration, and community on the web; and for building businesses that cement these values. Thanks to Jason Santa Maria for his humility, his visual work, and writings – which have always inspired me – and for designing this beautiful set of books. Thanks to Mandy Brown for her leadership and her encouragement, and for showing me the power of a great editor.
Thanks to Katel LeDû for her contagious enthusiasm, her patience, and her diligent work running A Book Apart. Thanks to Caren Litherland for editing me. Caren’s kind words kept me going, and her critical eye brought clarity to this text. I could not have accomplished this without her support and guidance. Thanks to Ray Schwartz and Juliette Cezzar for their incredible expertise as technical editors; their empathy for readers improved this book tenfold. Thanks to Tina Lee for shepherding the earliest versions of this book. Thanks to Bram Stein for writing his Webfont Handbook; years ago, he and I strategized about how these two texts could harmonize, and it’s exciting to see our plan in action. Thanks to Jessica Hische for writing my foreword. Jessica is well known for her beautiful lettering, but she’s an equally gifted writer—helpful, straightforward, and kind. Thanks to the production crew at A Book Apart for making this book real. Thanks to Mike Monteiro and David Demaree for their advice about publishing.
Thanks to Greg Veen for our many private discussions about the nature of flexible typesetting, and for his evergreen support. Thanks additionally to the other managers in my career – Matthew Rechs, Bryan Mason, Carolyn Guyer, Megg Brown, and James Roy – for their leadership, and for shielding me from nonsense so the ideas in this book could take root. Thanks to Jeff Veen, Ryan Carver, Andy McMillan, Robert Eerhart, Toby Malina, Marci Eversole, Vitaly Friedman, Gavin Elliott, and Jared Spool for having faith in me and giving me a platform. Thanks to the Typekit and Type teams, and to all of my friends at Adobe, for your profound care toward people who make type and practice typography.
Thanks to George Laws for opening my mind to the abstraction, balance, and systems in graphic design and type, for his mentoring, and for our breakfasts. Thanks to Arthur Hoener for introducing me to typography and giving me work opportunities that catalyzed my career. Thanks to Anne Galperin and Clif Meador for helping me think critically and find confidence. Thanks to Mr. Mahon for making me feel at home in art class. Thanks to the elementary school teachers who shaped and cared for me, including Mr. Weiss, Mr. Cafon, Ms. Oliver, Mr. Schmidt, and Ms. Hart.
Thanks to Ray Schwartz for geeking out with me about web development. Thanks to Chris Silverman for his perpetually fresh eyes and articulate feedback. Thanks to Donny Truong for his openness and hustle. Thanks to Ethan Marcotte for the invaluable discussion and his unparalleled optimism. Thanks to Bram Stein, Scott Kellum, Elliot Jay Stocks, Jake Giltsoff, Wenting Zhang, Weston Thayer, Indra Kupferschmid, Chris Coyier, Dave Rupert, Andrew Johnson, Ivan Bettger, and Tobias Frere-Jones for exchanges and collaborations that bolstered ideas in this book. Thanks to Kevin Davis and Joe Juriga; rest in peace.
Thanks to my friends in the Nice Web Type Slack for continually reminding me how much there is to learn about typography. Thanks to friends who gave me feedback on early drafts of this book: Greg Veen, Ethan Marcotte, Donny Truong, Robin Rendle, Bram Stein, and Frank Griesshammer. Thanks to writers who have inspired me over the years, especially Dan Cederholm and John Gruber.
Thanks to my friends at the St. Remy Volunteer Fire Department for their patience and understanding, and for their service to our community.
Thanks to my family for their love and patience as I concentrated on this book. Thanks Mom, for encouraging and supporting me throughout my life. Thanks Dad, for teaching me to think deeply. Thanks Mom S., for feeding and housing me while I learned to make websites. Thanks Dad S. for repeatedly asking when I would write a book (this is it). Thanks to my brothers, Greg and Ken, for being awesome-o. Shout-out to my sisters- and brothers-in-law, and my nieces and nephews. Love you all.
Thanks to my three beautiful, gifted, funny, kind, powerful, appreciative children, Kate, Julie, and Lori. Daddy and Mommy worked hard on this book, and you can work hard on things too. Make time to listen, speak, read, and write. I love you.
It is an immeasurable privilege to share my life and work with such wonderful people, and I profoundly appreciate each of you.
But my deepest appreciation, my most humble thanks, and all of my love, go to my wife Eileen. She alone truly understands what it meant for me to write this book. For years, she has tolerated burdens that would have exhausted my patience in a week if our roles had been reversed. Her loving support, encouragement, and selflessness deserve a book of their own. I will treasure her example for the rest of my life.