Stefan Waner and Steven R. Costenoble both received their Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, having studied several years apart with the same advisor, J. Peter May. Their paths merged when Steven joined Stefan at Hofstra University in 1987; since then they have coauthored 15 research papers in algebraic topology. By the early 1990s they had become dissatisfied with many of the Finite Mathematics and Applied Calculus textbooks. They wanted textbooks that were more readable and relevant to students' interests, containing examples and exercises that were interesting, and reflected the interactive approaches and techniques they found worked well with their own students. It therefore seemed natural to extend their research collaboration to a joint textbook writing project that expressed these ideals. To this day they continue to work together on their textbook projects, their research in algebraic topology, and their teaching.