Preface

In fall 2010 Michael Stephens from Manning contacted me about writing a Scala Book. I was working for a small virtualization/security startup where I had been learning Scala and applying it to our codebase. During that first conversation Michael and I discussed the Scala ecosystem and what kind of a book would best serve the community.

I believed Scala needed a “practical Scala” book to help guide those new to the language. Scala is a beautiful language, but it brings many new concepts to the table. I had watched as the community slowly discovered best practices and a code style that was wholly “Scala.” But I wasn’t sure whether I was the right person to write such a book. When it came down to it, I was passionate about the topic, had enough free time to do the research, and had the support of the magnates of the community to help achieve what you are reading today—so I decided to go ahead.

I’ve learned a lot during the writing process. One reason it took so long was the evolving nature of Scala and the emergence of new best practices. Another reason was that I realized my own knowledge was woefully inadequate in some areas of Scala. To all aspiring authors out there, I will tell you that writing a book makes you an expert. You may think you are one before you start, but true expertise grows from the blood, sweat, and tears of teaching, of trying to convey complex concepts to your readers with clarity.

Working on this book was a journey that I never could have completed without a very supportive and loving wife, a great publisher, and an amazing community of Scala developers and readers willing to read my manuscript in various stages, point out my typos and misspellings, and offer advice on how to make Scala in Depth a much better book than I could have achieved alone.