For my having been able to write this book I am grateful to more individuals than can be named here, going back to the public school teachers who showed me that one can be both educated and sensible. Special thanks to Tim Duggan, Patrick Ferris, Owen Laster, Tom Leonard, Jay Mandel, Alice Mayhew, Menno Meyjes—and to my wife, Carolyn, thanks to whose unwavering support I have been able to do my best, which really is all a writer can ask.