The Union Bookshelf regularly features new books written
by (or about) alumni 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.
Gordon Gould '41
Laser: The Inventor, the Nobel Laureate, and the Thirty-Year Patent War by Nick Taylor is the biography of Gordon Gould '41, written primarily from his point of view. It is a fascinating account of Gould's disputed claim to be the true inventor of the laser, charting the financial hardship, disappointments, and setbacks of Gould's thirty-year, ultimately successful, battle for his rights.
Laser: The Inventor, the Nobel Laureate, and the Thirty-Year Patent War was published by Simon and Schuster; to order a copy, go to
www.amazon.com.
Frederick S. Frank '57, Ph.D.
Edited by Frederick S. Frank '57, Douglas H. Thomson (a former professor of English at Union), and Jack G. Voller,
Gothic Writers: A Critical and Bibliographical Guide is designed to accommodate the critical and bibliographical needs of a broad spectrum of users, from scholars seeking critical assistance, to general readers wanting an introduction to the Gothic. The volume includes entries on more than fifty Gothic writers from Horace Walpole to Stephen King. Entries for French, German, Russian, and Japanese writers give an international scope to the book, while the focus on English and American literature shows the dynamic nature of Gothicism today. The volume concludes with a timeline and bibliography of important broad scholarly works on the Gothic. To order a copy of
Gothic Writers: A Critical and Bibliographical Guide, go to www.greenwood.com.
John Eric Edinger '60, Ph.D.
Waterbody Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Modeling is an introductory workbook and CD-ROM on three dimensional waterbody modeling. The author, who is president and principal scientist at J.E. Edinger Associates, Inc., explains how to set up models for different types of waterbodies and waterbody problems and different ways to examine and interpret the model results. The results of thirty sample applications are provided in example output folders. An excellent learning tool for students in environmental engineering, hydrology and hydraulics, water resources, and environmental sciences programs, the models may be used for class assignments, supplements, and term projects. Practicing engineers will also find Edinger's workbook useful in making a rapid assessment of a water body problem.
To order a copy of Waterbody Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Modeling, go to
www.pubs.asce.org.
Charles H. Evans, Jr. '62
Safe Passage: Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions examines the issues surrounding astronaut health and safety for long duration space missions. To read excerpts or to order a copy of
Safe Passage: Astronaut Care for Exploration Missions, go to www.nap.edu/catalog/10218.html.
Small Clinical Trials: Issues and Challenges discusses the differing issues that clinical trials with small numbers of participants face compared to those that must be addressed in trials with large numbers of participants.
To read excerpts or to order a copy of Small Clinical Trials: Issues and
Challenges, go to www.nap.edu/catalog/10078.html.
Chris Komisarjevsky '67
Peanut Butter and Jelly Management, written by Chris and Reina Komisarjevsky, links what happens in the home, bringing up children, to what happens in the workplace, leading adults. Chris is president and CEO of Burson-Marstellar Worldwide, a public relations firm, and she is a full-time mother; they have nine children. The authors say that raising kids and managing adults call for many of the same skills and attributes, and that employees, like kids, benefit from more personal involvement, caring, understanding, and attention. Being a good leader isn't easy, but being a good parent is even tougher.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Management will help you on both counts. To order a copy, go to
www.amanet.org.
Gary Prevost '69
Politics of Latin America-The Power Game, written by Gary Prevost '69 (professor of political science at St. John's University) and Harry E. Vanden, explores both the evolution and the current state of the political scene in Latin America. It demonstrates a sensitivity to the use and abuse of power and the importance of social conditions, gender, race, and political economy. The book includes an overview of Latin America as a whole, as well as detailed case studies of each individual country. It is an indispensable text for students and general readers who wish to gain
a deeper understanding of this complex and rapidly-changing region. Each chapter has a bibliography that includes useful books, films, videos, and relevant websites. To obtain a copy of
Politics of Latin America, go to www.oup.com.
Andrea Barrett '74
Servants of the Map is the latest book from the winner of the National Book Award.
The New York Times Book Review said that running through the book are the dominant themes of the longing for restoration and for the recovery of some essential experience in past. The collection of stories, covering a period from the early nineteenth century to the second half of the twentieth, has the feel of a novel. Barrett's characters are deep and self-possessed, and their stories, so intelligently and delectably told, both romanticize and validate the quest for under-
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standing life that drives scientists and artists alike. The book was published by W.W. Norton & Company; for more information or to order a copy, go to
www.amazon.com.
Paul Peter Jesep '86
Living the Gospel-The People of
St. John's is a collection of essays about the individuals who make up a unique church family. This book is not another reference describing or cataloguing the many important historical artifacts housed in the sanctuary of St. John's Church in Portsmouth, N.H. Rather, it offers lessons about the soul's resilience, humanity, and spiritual depth. In fellowship, church members embrace a homeless man who found his way to
St. John's, mourn the loss of a thirteen-month-old boy named Luke, and wrestle with the meaning of Episcopalianism. Jesep believes that there are more stories to be told about the journeys of the human spirit, and that this collection of essays is a modest first step. To order a copy, go to
www.amazon.com.
William M. Murphy, Thomas Lamont Research Professor of Ancient & Modern Literature Emeritus
Prodigal Father-The Life of John Butler Yeats (1839-1922), originally printed in 1978, was reissued in paperback with a new introduction by Murphy and some new illustrations, in time for a conference on Yeats in Chestertown, N.Y.
At its publication, the book was greeted by favorable reviews in such major publications as
The New York Times Book Review, the
Los Angeles Times, the Irish Times
of Dublin, and the Times Literary Supplement, and it was a runner-
up in the National Book Award's biography category. To obtain a copy of Prodigal Father-The Life
of John Butler Yeats (1839-1922), go to www.amazon.com.