ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My deepest thanks to the family, friends, and students who have inspired my creative endeavors and encouraged me when things were hard. Special mention goes to those who have commented specifically on the manuscript and illustrations, including: John Neff, Victoria Neff, Matt Markovich, Chris Casgar, Jacquie Duncan, Josh Richards, and Gerald Zimmerman. For their wit and wisdom throughout, my deepest gratitude to my editors, Nick Eliopulos and Jim Thomas, and my agents, Tracey and Josh Adams. For her beautiful sense of design, I’d like to thank Joanne Yates Russell, and for his inspired cover illustration, Corey Godbey.
While there are many wonderful tales of Cúchulain and his heroic feats, I’m especially indebted to the work of Thomas Kinsella, whose translation of the Táin Bó Cuailnge captured my imagination and served as the backdrop for my synopsis of the stories of both Cúchulain and the Cattle Raid.
Finally, I’d like to thank my mother, Terry Neff Zimmerman. Without her tireless support and brilliant feedback, Max might never have made the leap from thought to page.