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While our names are on the cover and we take ultimate responsibility for the contents of this book, we relied on many people for help. On the editorial side, first and foremost was the Advisory Board, whose names follow these paragraphs. These biologists, from institutions large and small that are research- and teaching-oriented, were with us every step of the way. At the outset, as we planned the very different approaches that you can see in this edition, they provided invaluable critiques to our proposals, with many of the advisors having experiences in active teaching environments that are different from ours. Then as we wrote the chapters and designed the illustrations that shaped the reality of our proposals, the Board again provided very useful evaluations. Finally, with their varied experiences in using online material, the members of the Advisory Board were an important source of feedback as we developed the active learning and assessment materials associated with the book. We couldn’t have done it as well without them.

On the following pages, you can see three lists of chapter reviewers totaling more than 400 individuals. First were between-edition reviewers, who carefully looked at the previous edition of Life and told us what we could do better, leave out, or add in the new edition. Then, accuracy reviewers, many of them experts in their field, examined each of our chapters for accuracy and not only spotted errors of fact and concepts, but made suggestions for better presentation. Finally, with our emphasis on active learning and pedagogy, we asked a group of experienced experts in biology education to critique our pedagogical features and give us suggestions for improvement. We are grateful to each and every one of these reviewers.

The team we worked intimately with at Sinauer Associates over many months consisted of a number of old friends and some new ones. In the former category are David McIntyre, who still manages to find fresh and exquisite photographs that illuminate our concepts; Jason Dirks, who directs a team of talented media and supplements editors and writers; Johannah Walkowicz, who again recruited the multitude of reviewers listed here; Joan Gemme, who designed the cover and skillfully arranged the words and images on every page and, along with Joanne Delphia, designed the interior to provide a fresh look; Chris Small, whose behind the scenes skill at coordinating all facets of art and production remain invaluable; Dean Scudder, who continues to bring a wealth of insight to how best to tell our story; Azelie Fortier, whose interactions with the Advisory Board and potential adopters have informed the development of our new active learning features; and Liz Pierson, the most insightful copyeditor we know.

New to the Life team were the editors at Sinauer Associates, Danna Lockwood and Chelsea Holabird who worked creatively (and tirelessly) to assure that each of our chapters lived up to the challenging goals we set for this Eleventh Edition. Carol Pritchard-Martinez came back after a hiatus to provide superb guidance as our developmental editor. Also, Carrie Mailler provided critical knowledge about our foray into the world of pedagogy and learning objectives.

Macmillan Learning has worked aggressively to bring Life to a broader audience. Executive Marketing Manager Will Moore, Executive Editor Andy Dunaway, and Editor Beth Cole (who was our liaison in the early stages of this edition), along with the regional specialists, regional managers, and experienced sales force, are effective ambassadors and skillful transmitters of the strong new features and unique strengths of this new edition. We depend upon their experience and energy to keep us in touch with how Life is perceived by its users. Many thanks also to Chris Efstratiou and the whole Macmillan LaunchPad production team.

Finally and above all, we thank Andy Sinauer. Andy is the ideal publisher for his authors. He loves biology, is committed to education and, sets high standards. Throughout the preparation of this new edition, he has been not just our editor but also our guiding spirit.

DAVID SADAVA

DAVID HILLIS

CRAIG HELLER

SALLY HACKER