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. 12308-3107.
Francis J. (Frank) Jankowski '43
Howard Beardmore '48
James Baar '49
Nicholas Apostolou '64
Dan Valenti '74
Francis J. (Frank) Jankowski '43
Brilliant ideas can strike when you're away from work or home. Many people use any available envelope, notepad, napkin, or scrap of paper and quickly doodle the idea on the back. Sometimes they use calculations involving math, engineering, and science. Often, these “back of the envelope” calculations are the beginning of an exciting, conceptual project or an alternative to an existing way of doing things. Frank Jankowski's book, Back of the Envelope, encourages people to take advantage of getting ideas down just where and when those ideas strike. Jankowski has edited and contributed to many publications, ranging from government handbooks to church newsletters. He has master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Cincinnati, and he is also a graduate of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Force Test Pilot School, and Air War College. He is a resident of New Mexico where he enjoys hiking, model making, painting, sketching, and collecting Native American art. His book can be purchased from Dorrance Publishing Co., Pittsburgh, Pa.
In Howard Beardmore's new book, The Mutation, the setting is an era of superbugs. The heroine, Alexis Miegher, M.D., has contracted AIDS from the bite of a mutated mosquito. Pesticides strong enough to control the mutated mosquitoes are toxic to humans. Alexis and her lover, Evgeny Kahlenkoff, a professor of music, spend time in their own world while outside their doors countless millions are becoming diseased and rushing toward death. The Mutation is available through The 1stBooks Library, the world's leading online library at www.1stbooks.com. The address is 205 N. College Ave., Bloomington, Ind. 47404.
The Great Free Enterprise Gambit, a satire on Big Business and sleazy politics, has been republished as an Internet e-book and in a new softcover edition to complement the author's spintalk dictionary. The book tells the story of International Coagulants, a glittering corporate octopus bleeding to death from inept management with a cast of dubious characters battling for control. The book can be downloaded (www.1stbooks.com), with the softcover available from such Websites as 1stBooks, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble. Baar's recently-published The Careful Voter's Dictionary of Language Pollution is also available as a downloadable e-book and in softcover. Baar was a Washington newsman during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations and subsequently a public relations executive.
Two new books in the popular Barron's Business Key's series were cowritten by Nicholas and Barbara Apostolou. Keys to Investing in Options is designed to describe the complexities and hazards of high-risk investing and give strategies for the best chance at making money. The second book, Futures and Keys to Investing in Common Stocks, familiarizes the reader with common stocks and explains the workings of stock exchanges. Both are in their third editions. Nicholas Apostolou, a certified public accountant, is the U. J. Le Grange Endowed Professor at Louisiana State University. Barbara is the Arthur Andersen
Distinguished Professor, also at Louisiana State. The books, in easy-to-read format, are available by contacting Barron's Educational Series, Inc., in Hauppauge, N.Y.
Ken Coleman and Dan Valenti have collaborated to give us an insider's look at one man's fantasy job in Talking on Air: A Broadcaster's Life in Sports. Boston Red Sox Hall-of Famer Ken Coleman was a sports broadcaster, first as the voice of the Cleveland Browns when they were the NFL's dominant franchise, and then for the Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and, finally, the Boston Red Sox. For twenty thrilling seasons, Ken's voice was called “the voice of summer.” Valenti says, “Ken's is a voice at once redolent, resonant, and absolutely reliable. I say this as a man honored to be his collaborator and blessed to be his friend.” Valenti, a columnist for the Berkshire Eagle and a member of the English Department at Berkshire Community College, has written numerous books and hundreds of magazine articles. The book is available through Sports Publishing Inc. at www.SportsPublishingInc.com.