Acknowledgments

I am fortunate to have many friends and no shame about asking for help.
Every one of my friends has been approached, some of them many times,
with requests for information or editorial suggestions. I apologize for not
listing them all. A few individuals played a major role in making the book
happen. My thanks go first to Jason Zweig, who urged me into the project
and patiently tried to work with me until it became clear to both of us that I
am impossible to work with. Throughout, he has been generous with his
editorial advice and enviable erudition, and sentences that he suggested
dot the book. Roger Lewin turned transcripts of a set of lectures into
chapter draft s. Mary Himmelstein provided valuable assistance
throughout. John Brockman began as an agent and became a trusted
friend. Ran Hassin provided advice and encouragement when it was most
needed. In the final stages of a long journey I had the indispensable help of
Eric Chinski, my editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. He knew the book
better than I did and the work became an enjoyable collaboration—I had
not imagined that an editor could do as much as Eric did. My daughter,
Lenore Shoham, rallied round to help me through the hectic final months,
providing wisdom, a sharp critical eye, and many of the sentences in the
“Speaking of” sections. My wife, Anne Treisman, went through a lot and did
a lot—I would have given up long ago without her steady support, wisdom,
and endless patience.