This has not been an easy book to write. I am very grateful to all those who have read and commented on earlier drafts: Bob Antonio, Aaron Benanav, Colter Cleary, Howard Engelskirchen, Fred Evans, Nate Holdren, Rob Hunter, the much missed Mike Lebowitz, Paul Mattick, Andrei Migunov, Dimitris Milonakis, Fred Moseley, Patrick Murray, José Monserrat Neto, Jeanne Schuler, David Schweickart, Igor Shoikhedbrod, Alex Stoner, Michael Thompson, Sam v.O., Matt Vidal, Richard Westra, Bjorn Westergard, and Ryan Wishart. They are most emphatically not responsible for the shortcomings of the work that follows, while all have contributed to making it better than it might otherwise have been. The three external reviewers of the original submission provided the most extensive and helpful feedback from blind reviewers I have ever received. I hope the improvements made as a result justify to at least some extent the evident time, effort, and care they put into their reports. I am very grateful as well to Betsy Bowman, Sebastian Budgen, Dan Krier, Joe Kupfer, Bob Stone, and (especially and always) Rebecca Burke for their encouragement to persevere. Special thanks are due to Geert Reuten, whose extensive critical commentaries on drafts of every chapter were as appreciated as they were (and remain) challenging.
The book is dedicated to Bridgit, Conor, Zac, and all those in the next generations trying to make this place a bit more beautiful.