ABSTRACT
For a researcher to see a specially composed collection of critiques comprehending virtually all the main themes of his own contributions and influence, by a number of the world’s luminaries in the relevant fields, is a rare privilege indeed. I am indebted to Drs Sohan and Celia Modgil for initiating this project, and I am especially grateful to the outstanding scientists and scholars who have contributed their expert views of particular aspects of my work. I have been delighted to find much more than mere summaries of my publications in these chapters, and also much more than narrow technical critiques resembling the reports typically expected of referees of journal articles. Although the essays here are clearly focused on the main themes of my work, they are nonetheless highly original and creative contributions in their own right. The intentionally critical bite of some of these essays makes this volume far different from the typical festschrift, which it most definitely is not, and which I would much less prefer.
