PHP Hacks

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects.

The image on the cover of PHP Hacks is a propeller beanie. The hat's name is thought to come from the early 20th-century slang term "bean," meaning "head," and it was first worn by blue-collar laborers during that time, presumably to keep their hair out of their eyes as they worked. Later, wearing beanies became a fad for young boys, and the propeller beanie is now a popular symbol of science fiction fans in comic art. This association is thought to have originated in 1948 when Ray Nelson, who would later become a science fiction author and cartoonist, supposedly suggested that the members of his science fiction club wear these hats to a science fiction convention so that they would stand out. Since Ray was a teenager in high school at the time, his father would not allow him to attend the convention, but at least one of his fellow club members, George Young, is thought to have worn his beanie to the convention. While the beanie has become an icon of geekdom, it eventually evolved into the more sporty baseball cap.

Reba Libby was the production editor and the proofreader for PHP Hacks. Audrey Doyle copyedited the book. Sanders Kleinfeld and Marlowe Shaeffer provided quality control. Ellen Troutman Zaig wrote the index.

Marcia Friedman designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image comes from Metaphorically Speaking, CVCD Library. Karen Montgomery produced the cover layout with Adobe InDesign CS using Adobe's Helvetica Neue and ITC Garamond fonts.

David Futato designed the interior layout. This book was converted by Keith Fahlgren to FrameMaker 5.5.6 with a format conversion tool created by Erik Ray, Jason McIntosh, Neil Walls, and Mike Sierra that uses Perl and XML technologies. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Helvetica Neue Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano, Jessamyn Read, and Lesley Borash using Macromedia FreeHand MX and Adobe Photoshop CS. This colophon was written by Reba Libby.

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