“All writing is rewriting” is a claim I came to appreciate as I worked and reworked the manuscript. I received innumerable helpful comments from those who read some or all of the manuscript at various stages of its evolution. Thank you, Catherine Baldwin, Richard Goul, Judy McCoy, Steve Mizusawa, Ellen Neal, Tom Rollinger, Raymond Sinetar, Jeff Thorp, Karen Thorp, Raun Thorp, Vivian Thorp, and Brian Tichenor.
Ellen Neal turned my handwritten squiggles into typescript and cheerfully endured endless revisions. Professional editor and writer Richard Cohen and Random House editor Will Murphy, assisted by Mika Kasuga, gave extensive advice ranging from voice and content to detailed line-edits. David Halpern of The Robbins Agency helped me from start to finish.
Some chapters draw upon articles I wrote for the financial magazine Wilmott. By giving me that forum, Paul Wilmott, the founder of the magazine, along with the magazine’s editor, Dan Tudball, have contributed to this book.
I checked facts, depending on extensive files of correspondence, news clippings, and financial records. It is likely errors remain and for these I apologize. When I have withheld or changed names it was to preserve privacy or confidences, or to avoid a negative impact on the reputation of an individual or an entity.
From childhood to old age, I owe any success I have had to the wonderful people who have been a part of my life: my family, friends, mentors, teachers, and the partners and associates who have worked beside me, especially my late wife, Vivian, whose love and support sustained me for almost sixty years.