Colophon

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects.

The animal on the cover of Web Mapping Illustrated is a common snipe (Gallinago gallinago). Snipe are medium-sized (about 10 inches), wading shorebirds with short legs, pointed wings, and long, straight bills. Both sexes have a strongly patterned back with several buff, longitudinal stripes, a white belly, and dark bars on their flanks.

When flushed, the snipe rises away in a zigzag flight pattern. The flight call resembles a short rasping sneeze. In the spring, males produce an aerial drumming display using outstretched outer tail feathers to generate a low-pitched, whirring sound that attracts interested female partners. Once a female shows interest, the male pursues her and dives with wings held above the body in a V-shape, often rolling and turning upside down. Snipe nest on the ground in thick vegetation on wetlands or pasture where there is easy access to soft ground and small shallow pools. Females produce up to four eggs in 18 to 20 days; the babies are ready to fledge in 19 to 20 days.

Mary Anne Weeks Mayo was the production editor and copyeditor for Web Mapping Illustrated. Leanne Soylemez proofread the book. Adam Witwer and Claire Cloutier provided quality control. Peter Ryan provided production assistance. Julie Hawks wrote the index.

Ellie Volckhausen designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a loose antique engraving. Karen Montgomery produced the cover layout with Adobe InDesign CS using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Keith Fahlgren to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano, Jessamyn Read, and Lesley Borash using Macromedia FreeHand MX and Adobe Photoshop CS. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was compiled by Mary Anne Weeks Mayo.