[Get started on preface.
Bryan O'Sullivan <bos@serpentine.com>**20070626072552] {
hunk ./en/ch00-preface.xml 6
-  <remark>FIXME</remark>
+  <para>We use Haskell every day to solve problems that require
+    programming.  You can, too, and we're writing this book to show
+    you how.</para>
+
+  <para>Why do we like Haskell?  It provides a combination of
+    abstraction and concreteness that let us address a wide range of
+    problem sizes.  When we have small problems to solve, we write
+    short programs that would normally be considered the domain of
+    <quote>scripting</quote> languages, because Haskell is expressive
+    and has good standard libraries.  When we need to write larger and
+    more demanding applications, Haskell's robustness and
+    composability help us to build maintainable code that we can adapt
+    quickly to changes in circumstance.</para>
+
+  <sect1>
+    <title>Who is this book for?</title>
+
+    <para>We're writing this book for you, the curious programmer.  We
+      assume that you can already program in a language like Python,
+      C, or Java, but that's as far as our assumptions about you
+      go.</para>
+
+    <para>Actually, that's not quite complete.  We have made a
+      <emphasis>few</emphasis> more assumptions about you.</para>
+
+    <para>We assume that you're reading this book because you want to
+      learn lots of interesting stuff, and to have fun, and
+      occasionally to pump your fist and shout <quote>Wow! I
+	<emphasis>get</emphasis> it!</quote></para>
+
+    <para>We assume that you are willing to put in some practice, to
+      help a new idea or technique to <quote>stick</quote> in your
+      mind.</para>
+
+    <para>But really, that's it for our assumptions about you.  For
+      example, your educational background isn't important.  What
+      <emphasis>is</emphasis> important is a willingness to explore
+      new territory.</para>
+
+    <para>Maybe you've never used a functional language.  No problem.
+      We'll take you through the basics at a brisk pace, and we won't
+      talk down to you.</para>
+
+    <para>If you <emphasis>have</emphasis> used some other functional
+      language, we'll point out areas where an appropriate way of
+      tackling a problem in  a different language might lead you into
+      trouble with Haskell.</para>
+  </sect1>
+
+  <sect1>
+    <title>How to read this book</title>
+
+    <para>We've put this book together so that each chapter builds on
+      material we've covered in prior chapters.  If you're unfamiliar
+      with functional programming or Haskell, you should start at the
+      beginning.</para>
+
+    <para>In every chapter, we've interlaced the material with
+      exercises.  We think that taking the time to solve them is a
+      great idea, one that will pay you back hugely.  Don't just think
+      about how you <emphasis>would</emphasis> solve an exercise; sit
+      in front of a computer and write working code!</para>
+
+    <para>We've written our examples as real Haskell programs that you
+      can modify, compile and run.  Some exercises will refer you to
+      particular example programs that we'll ask you to change.</para>
+
+    <para>With exploration comes the risk of occasionally getting
+      lost.  We'll be trying to anticipate your questions as we go,
+      but maybe once in a while we'll take a step a little too
+      quickly.  Any time you feel like you're not quite getting it
+      yet, <emphasis>relax</emphasis>.  Pretty often your best
+      approach will be to try a few coding exercises, to explore a
+      topic where we didn't make things clear enough.  Nothing will
+      help you learn better than practice and a willingness to try a
+      few different ways around an obstacle.</para>
+
+    <para>We have a few important <emphasis>non</emphasis>-goals in
+      writing this book.  The first is that we're not triumphalists;
+      when we say nice things about functional programming, we're not
+      implicitly saying bad things about someone else's cherished way
+      of getting things done.</para>
+
+    <para>We will not sugar-coat problem topics.  No language is
+      perfect; neither is any language's standard library. When we
+      cover aspects of the language or libraries that are less than
+      perfect, we'll be clear about what the limitations are.</para>
+  </sect1>
}