All those with whom I learned to solve, including my brother Alexander, my late dad, Shaun Pye, Charlie Rowlands, Sean Walsh, Mark Chappell, and Lucy Brett.
The constructors who have guided me through their world including Araucaria, Rufus, Enigmatist, Quixote, Paul, Arachne, Monk, Azed, Tramp, Orlando, Puck, Shed, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Audreus, Gordius, Micawber, Goujeers, Trazom, Hot, and Philistine.
Those who have provided information and wisdom including Sean Walsh, David Bellos, Kathryn Friedlander, Noah Veltman, Anne R. Bradford, Denise Sutherland, Richard Browne, Mike Hutchinson, Peter Biddlecombe, Will Shortz, Evie Eysenburg, Nitsuh Abebe, Shuchi Upadhyay, Deb Ablem, Jane Teather, Charlotte Murray, Brendan Carr, Stephan Shakespeare, Faria Iqbal, Michael Price, Jane Sewell, Julian Mitchell, and Colin Dexter—and Eric Westbrook and Jerry Farrell for their puzzles.
From The Guardian: Janine Gibson, Hugh Stephenson, Kate Carter, Rachel Dixon, Pamela Hutchinson, and Rachel Holmes—and the readers of and commenters at The Guardian Crossword Blog.
Those who enabled this book to sit in your hands: my editor Brooke Carey and agent Andrew Gordon; others from publishing including my UK editor Helen Conford, Rose Goddard, Leslie Hansen, Stefan McGrath, and Jessica Sindler.
For feeding and watering my playing with words: my English teacher Kenneth Fitzell and my mum.
For waiting: Lucy and Raphael.