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 animal on the cover of Java Swing, Second Edition, is a spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi). Most spider monkeys can be found in the forests of Central America from Southern Mexico to Panama. Almost all varieties of spider monkeys live exclusively in trees and maintain a diet of fruit and nuts.

What gives the spider monkey its name is its long limbs and tail (it sometimes resembles a spider as it moves). A. geoffroyi's fur is black, brown, golden, or reddish.

Spider monkeys are social and can form groups of approximately 30 animals. They live in treetops and forage diurnally in troops often led by females, which have a more active role than males in the food-gathering process. Spider monkeys are often seen hanging by one branch or by their unusually long tails, which basically function as a fifth limb. They can even grasp objects with their tails.

When approached or threatened, spider monkeys will bark and flail wildly, which usually scares off intruders. If this tactic is unsuccessful, they will break away from their groups and retreat.

Matt Hutchinson was the production editor and copyeditor for Java Swing, Second Edition . Matt Hutchinson and Mary Brady proofread the book. Tatiana Apandi Diaz and Sarah Sherman provided quality control. Genevieve d'Entremont and Andrew Savikas provided production assistance. Brenda Miller updated the index from the first edition.

Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Emma Colby produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 4.1 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.

David Futato designed the interior layout. The text font is Linotype Birka; the heading font is Adobe Myriad Condensed; and the code font is LucasFont's TheSans Mono Condensed. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Jessamyn Read using Macromedia FreeHand 9 and Adobe Photoshop 6. The tip and warning icons were drawn by Christopher Bing. This colophon was written by Matt Hutchinson.

The online edition of this book was created by the Safari production group (John Chodacki, Becki Maisch, and Madeleine Newell) using a set of Frame-to-XML conversion and cleanup tools written and maintained by Erik Ray, Benn Salter, John Chodacki, and Jeff Liggett.