| Any list of thanks has to start with my parents for fostering my interest in computing even when we were living in countries that made that a major challenge, and with my partner Joe for putting up with it today when it has flowered into a major obsession . I'd also like to acknowledge my employer, Berbee, for giving me an opportunity to delve deeply into Java and build skills as an architect of reusable APIs; for letting me stay clear of the proprietary, platform-specific tar pit that is engulfing so much of the programming world; for surrounding me with such incredible colleagues; and for being supportive when I wanted to leverage these experiences in writing this book. Marc Loy got me connected with the wonderful folks at O'Reilly by inviting me to help with the second edition of Java Swing , and Mike Loukides has been patiently working on me ever since ”encouraging me to write a book of my own. In Hibernate he found the perfect topic to get me started. Deb Cameron, our revisions editor for the Swing effort, has played a big role in turning my tentative authorial ambitions into a rewarding reality. I'm also grateful she was willing to 'loan me out' from helping with the third edition of Learning Emacs to take on the Hibernate project. I'm particularly indebted to my technical reviewers: Adrian Kellor and Curt Pederson. They looked at some very early drafts and helped set my tone and direction, as well as reinforcing my enthusiasm about the value of this project. As the book came together, Bruce Tate provided an important sanity check from someone actively using and teaching Hibernate, and he offered some great advice and even more encouragement. Eric Knapp reviewed a large portion with an eye toward using the book in an instructional setting at a technical college, and reminded me to keep my feet on the ground. Tim Cartwright jumped in at the end, working with a nearly complete draft in an effort to understand Hibernate as a potential platform for future work, and providing a great deal of useful feedback about the content and presentation. I'd also like to thank the many members of O'Reilly's production department who put in lots of work under an unusually tight schedule. | 