Nine deep bows to the community of people who share my love of turtles, whether they be academic researchers, hobbyist breeders, conservationists, institutional curators, or volunteers out protecting animals and eggs. Without your kinship, infectious enthusiasm, and staunch support over the years, I don’t know how or if my own passion could have endured for so long. Thanks to Jay and Danielle Frewer, turtle purveyors par excellence, for their friendship and for helping me find the right shelled companions, to Chris Hansen for his sometimes inscrutable but always wise turtle counsel, to Anthony Pierlioni, for the endless hours of lively turtle talk, and to my own turtle pets who have taught me so much about nature and spirit. I’m particularly grateful to all the good folks at Mango Publishing for making this book possible, in particular the visionary Brenda Knight for supporting the unorthodox idea of it, MJ Fievre for her persistent and perspicacious edit, the creative team for making it so beautiful, and to my friends and students who suffered through my requests for proofreading and suggestions. Nine bows, too for the collaborative effort between Nancy Bautista and Janelle Rosenfeld that resulted in this book’s beautiful cover. These days, more than ever, a book takes a village.