The Union Bookshelf regularly features new books written by alumni authors and other members of the Union community. If you're an author and would like to be included in a future issue, please send us a copy of the book as well as your publisher's news release. Our address is Office of Communications, Union College, Schenectady, N.Y. 12308-3169.
Larry Schwartz '41
Larry Schwartz '41, of Boynton Beach, Fla., was a language and literature major at Union and then attended the Columbia Graduate School of Business on the recommendation of President Dixon Ryan Fox. He has had a lifelong career in advertising and marketing. His book, Credit Card & Check Fraud: A Stop-Loss Manual, is described as “guaranteed to stop all your losses from credit card fraud and bad check problems.” The book, co-written with his wife, Pearl, was published by their Fraud & Theft Information Bureau. Their other books, manuals, and data bases are detailed at their Web site at www.fraudandtheftinfo.com.
Art Grand '63
Art Grand '63 is the co-editor (with Charles Wilkie of Marquette University) of a new book on fire retardancy studies and the need for fire retardant chemicals and fire-retarded (FR) polymers. Titled Fire Retardance of Polymeric Materials, the 592‑page, illustrated textbook includes contributions from twenty international experts and more than 1,585 references, tables, drawings, micrographs, and photographs. It is the first comprehensive treatise on the subject since the 1970s and is intended as a reference for materials, process, plastics, and textile engineers; polymer and fire scientists; and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in these disciplines. The book can be ordered from Marcel Dekker, Inc., or at www.dekker.com.
Louis Furmanski '72
Louis Furmanski '72, associate professor and chair of the Political Science Department at the University of Oklahoma, has joined with Gregory M. Scott and Randall J. Jones, Jr., to write 21 Debated Issues in World Politics. Presented in debate format, the book introduces the reader to some of the most controversial and important issues facing the world's governments today, including nuclear proliferation, terrorism, human rights, refugee problems, military intervention in Kosovo, sanctions, and environment and health issues. The 387-page book is primarily designed as a supplement to core texts for introductory-level political science courses. It is available from Prentice Hall at http://www.prenhall.com.
Steven Pentak '73
Stephen Pentak and David Lauer have released the fifth edition of Design Basics, intended as a textbook for college-level design courses. It covers such basic elements as balance, scale/proportion, focal points, volume and shapes, showing motion, texture, and color. This edition has been revised into a more modular format allowing instructors greater flexibility when organizing their courses. The book is available through Harcourt College Publishers. Information about the book can be found at http://www.harcourtcollege.com.
Matthew Ehrlich '81, M.D.
“Imagine life without the hassles of glasses or contact lenses!” Matthew Ehrlich's new book, How to See Like a Hawk When You're Blind as a Bat, is a patient's guide to the new LASIK laser vision correction. Using simple language and photos, the book explains refractive surgery and how it is performed. It answers the questions “Does it hurt?,” “Why is laser surgery so expensive?,” “Can you really throw away your glasses/ contacts?,” and “What about close-up reading?” The book has a forword which includes praise by Robert Maloney, M.D., director of the Maloney Vision Institute and associate clinical professor of opthalmology at UCLA. It is available through Doctors Advice Press, Inc. Ehrlich, who has been practicing in the Sarasota, Fla., area since 1988, can be reached at www.drehrlich.com or at www.lasikbook.com.