For Bette and Dave Dines,

two special people

As in other instances, Linda Gross has been the guiding spirit and force behind this book. Not only did she encourage me to develop the Hesse project, but she also did a superb job of advising me and editing the manuscript throughout its different phases. In addition I should like to express my gratitude to Janet Biehl, whose thorough copyediting improved the translation immensely, and to Carol Dines, my wife, who read through various drafts and added “magic” touches to the tales.