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xii Preface

portraits, pictures, attractive graphics, and additional anecdotes. The support-
ing Internet site at MatrixAnalysis.com contains updates, errata, new material,
and additional supplements as they become available.
SIAM
I thank the SIAM organization and the people who constitute it (the in-
frastructure as well as the general membership) for allowing me the honor of
publishing my book under their name. I am dedicated to the goals, philosophy,
and ideals of SIAM, and there is no other company or organization in the world
that I would rather have publish this book. In particular, I am most thankful
to Vickie Kearn, publisher at SIAM, for the confidence, vision, and dedication
she has continually provided, and I am grateful for her patience that allowed
me to write the book that I wanted to write. The talented people on the SIAM
staff went far above and beyond the call of ordinary duty to make this project
special. This group includes Lois Sellers (art and cover design), Michelle Mont-
gomery and Kathleen LeBlanc (promotion and marketing), Marianne Will and
Deborah Poulson (copy for CD-ROM biographies), Laura Helfrich and David
Comdico (design and layout of the CD-ROM), Kelly Cuomo (linking the CD-
ROM), and Kelly Thomas (managing editor for the book). Special thanks goes
to Jean Anderson for her eagle-sharp editor’s eye.

Acknowledgments
This book evolved over a period of several years through many different
courses populated by hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. To all
my students and colleagues who have offered suggestions, corrections, criticisms,
or just moral support, I offer my heartfelt thanks, and I hope to see as many of
you as possible at some point in the future so that I can convey my feelings to
you in person. I am particularly indebted to Michele Benzi for conversations and
suggestions that led to several improvements. All writers are influenced by people
who have written before them, and for me these writers include (in no particular
order) Gil Strang, Jim Ortega, Charlie Van Loan, Leonid Mirsky, Ben Noble,
Pete Stewart, Gene Golub, Charlie Johnson, Roger Horn, Peter Lancaster, Paul
Halmos, Franz Hohn, Nick Rose, and Richard Bellman—thanks for lighting the
path. I want to offer particular thanks to Richard J. Painter and Franklin A.
Graybill, two exceptionally fine teachers, for giving a rough Colorado farm boy
a chance to pursue his dreams. Finally, neither this book nor anything else I
have done in my career would have been possible without the love, help, and
unwavering support from Bethany, my friend, partner, and wife. Her multiple
readings of the manuscript and suggestions were invaluable. I dedicate this book
to Bethany and our children, Martin and Holly, to our granddaughter, Margaret,
and to the memory of my parents, Carl and Louise Meyer.

Carl D. Meyer
April 19, 2000