added preface

Author: jsoverson

book/book.adoc

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 
 = Go From JavaScript to Rust
 
+include::./chapters/preface.adoc[leveloffset=1]
 include::./chapters/chapter-0-introduction.adoc[leveloffset=1]
 include::./chapters/chapter-1-rustup.adoc[leveloffset=1]
 include::./chapters/chapter-2-cargo.adoc[leveloffset=1]

book/chapters/chapter-0-introduction.adoc

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 == A guide to Rust from a node.js developer's perspective.
 
-Welcome to the wonderful world of Rust! Each chapter will take concepts you know in JavaScript and node.js and translate them to their Rust counterparts. The first chapters start with the basics, like getting set up with Rust via a tool similar to `nvm` (`rustup`), using the package manager (`cargo`), and setting up VS Code. Later chapters go over language gotchas, how to perform common JavaScript tasks in Rust, and we'll finish up by touching on solid dependencies to start adding to your projectss.
+Each chapter will take concepts you know in JavaScript and node.js and translate them to their Rust counterparts. The first chapters start with the basics, like getting set up with Rust via a tool similar to `nvm` (`rustup`), using the package manager (`cargo`), and setting up VS Code. Later chapters go over language gotchas, how to perform common JavaScript tasks in Rust, and we'll finish up by touching on solid dependencies to start adding to your projectss.
 
 == Wait, why does anyone need to learn anything but JavaScript?
 

book/chapters/preface.adoc

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+[preface]
+# Preface
+
+This book started as a series of posts on https://vino.dev/blog[vino.dev's blog] during December 2021. The series generated more interest than we ever expected and it started to take on a life of its own. Since then we've had numerous publishers and volunteers looking to extend this series and its reach. We converted the blog posts to asciidoc and put together the scaffolding necessary to turn it into an e-book. The book's source files and all the project's source code are open source under Creative Commons licenses. You are welcome and encouraged to submit contributions, fixed, translations, or new chapters as you see fit.
+
+Thank you everyone who contributed, provided feedback, and otherwise helped make the effort worthwhile. Special thanks go to my wife Kate Lane and my children Finn, Norah, and Elliot who tolerated me writing all day, every day over the 2021 holidays.
+
+
+## A note on contributions:
+
+The spirit of this book and its original posts can be summed up as "Get to the point. Fast." The JavaScript and node.js community is top-notch when it comes to practical examples and working example code. I missed that when I started working with Rust. I began the original series to help those coming down this same path and I'd like to maintain that spirit as much as possible. If the book is outright *wrong*, then please contribute fixes. Otherwise, please err on the side of "gets the point across" vs 100% technical accuracy.