By Stacy Keach

When I was a young boy, my parents held my hands as I walked on a sandy beach and encountered the waves beneath my feet for the first time. At first, it terrified me. The tide rushed back to join the sea under my toes, and I had the sensation of being swept under. Were it not for the fact that I held onto my parents' hands for dear life, I felt sure I was a goner. The fear subsided as I became aware that the waves were part of a natural process. My relief turned to joy, and I began to jump in the foam. Plunging my hands into the sand beneath my feet, I became mesmerized by the tiny dancing grains slipping through my fingers. So small, I thought to myself, and so many of them.

Some years later, I looked through a telescope at the stars for the first time. I remembered the claim that there are as many stars in the universe as all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the world. In that instant, I made the connection between these amazing tiny particles and the whole of the universe. Now, looking at Dr. Gary Greenberg's miraculous grains of sand photographed through a microscope, I am once again mesmerized by a whole new dimension. A Grain of Sand: Nature's Secret Beauty takes us to a captivating world that none of us have seen before.

Following in the tradition of the Renaissance, my good friend Gary-an artist, scientist, and inventor-is one of a growing number of specialists whose body of work reflects the synthesis of art and science. A prolific inventor with a number of patents for high-definition 3, he has utilized his scientific skills with the microscope and the camera to create artistic landscapes of extraordinary beauty andfascinating detail. A Grain of Sand is a perfect example of that expression.

I first became acquainted with Gary's talents in the early 1970s when I joined the advisory board of Environmental Communications, a group of photographers and artists located in Venice, California, and devoted to documenting both the art and architecture of our cultural environment. It was a privilege for me to share in the expression of a movement where the worlds of art, science, and culture merged.

During this period, Gary also initiated a science club, where friends met once a week to discuss articles from Scientific American, Science, and Nature and ponder the implications of everything from black holes and string theory to the big bang and global warming. This period of my life would prove to be an invaluable inspiration for my work. I was just beginning to embark on an ancillary career as a narrator for scientific documentaries, especially the NOVA series for the Public Broadcasting Service. The knowledge I gained from the science club discussions not only deepened my understanding of complicated scientific principles, but it also enhanced my confidence to do my job as an informed authority. The discussions provided me with the opportunity to see and understand things about nature that had not been previously available to me.

Likewise, A Grain of Sand provides the reader with a delightful visual trip into a world beyond the reaches of everyday perceptions. It is an exploration into the wondrous landscape of things we do not see with our naked eye. It inspires the human spirit to know that the beauty and the mysteries of our universe are tangible and real, and that our lives are enriched by their presence. I am confident that you will enjoy the journey ahead.