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 Oracle SQL: The Essential Reference is a scorpion. Fossil records indicate that scorpions were among the first arachnids, and the presence of gills in some fossil specimen may indicate that the scorpion evolved from a sea-dwelling ancestor. Today, scorpions dwell in desert habitats, where they sleep under rocks or in sand burrows during the day, and come out at night to hunt insects. Scientists know of approximately 1,300 species of scorpions, ranging in size from one to eight inches, and ranging in color from yellow-brown to green to black.
The scorpion locates its prey by detecting air-born vibrations through the sensory hairs on its pedipalps (claws). The scorpion then uses its pedipalps to grasp the prey while injecting it with paralyzing venom from the aculeus (stinger) on the end of its tail. A scorpion also uses its venomous sting for defense against would-be devourers, which include fellow arachnids, centipedes and spiders, as well as lizards, birds, and small mammals.
The scorpion's mating ritual involves an elaborate courtship dance, during which the male and female grasp claws; the male secretes spermatophore on a rock or twig over which the female crosses, drawing in the sperm. Gestation can last up to one and a half years for some species, after which the female gives birth to numerous live young, who spend their first week or two traveling around on their mother's back.
Scorpions produce venom that is deadly to humans. Don't walk barefoot in the desert at night, or, if you must, shine a black light before you-scorpions fluoresce in ultraviolet light! Darren Kelly was the production editor, Ann Schirmer was the copyeditor, and Maureen Dempsey was the proofreader for Oracle SQL: The Essential Reference . Claire Cloutier, Linley Dolby, Sarah Jane Shangraw, and Mary Sheehan provided quality control. Judy Hoer wrote the index. Interior composition was done by James Carter, Deborah Smith, and Nancy Williams.
Ellie Volckhausen 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.
Alicia Cech and David Futato designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. Mike Sierra implemented the design in FrameMaker 5.5.6. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book; the code font is Constant Willison. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano using Macromedia FreeHand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Sarah Jane Shangraw.
Whenever possible, our books use a durable and flexible lay-flat binding. If the page count exceeds this binding's limit, perfect binding is used.
