Joel Shurkin, a member of the Philadelphia Inquirer's team that won the Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Three Mile Island, describes an even more world-shaking development--the birth of the computer age. In his book, Engines of The Mind: The Evolution of the Computer from Mainframes to Microprocessors, first published by Norton in 1984, Shurkin gives a lively, non-technical history of the labor pains that brought forth the information age. He has updated the book with a new chapter and epilogue on the latest developments in the computer industry including Windows 95. Shurkin tells the little-known tale of how several brilliant minds worked together and, at times, against one another to invent the computer. He explains how Philadelphia became the hub for top-secret technology development during the war because it had the highest concentration of college-educated women who were draft-proof and able to do the necessary manual computing work. Shurkin can be reached by phone at 408-438-3877 and by e-mail at Joel@crvzio.com. The PR for the books is Jenny Dworkin at 212-790-4268.
Suzanne Loebl, New York freelance, is the co-editor of The Columbia Presbyterian Osteoarthritis Handbook published by Macmillan. The co-editor, Ronald P. Grelsamer, MD, is an orthopedic knee surgeon. The authors provide advice on various treatment options for this most common form of arthritis. They include nutritional modifications, exercises to improve joint movement, drug therapy, and physical therapy. Loebl and her co-author also present all aspects of joint replacement and other therapeutic surgeries. Frequently asked questions about osteoarthritis, practical information on hospital policies, medical bills and insurance, and a list of commonly used drugs are given. Loebl can be reached at 718-875-2622. The PR for the book is Sharon Heede at 212-654-8234.
Lisa Bain, science writer and press officer at The University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, has had a book in a series of parents' guides from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, published by Dell. Publisher's Weekly wrote of the book, A Parent's Guide to Childhood Cancer: "In this sensitive and accessible guide, science writer Bain offers a calm approach to this difficult topic, providing parents with the information necessary to help them make decisions about their child's treatment, care, and well-being." Bain authored two previous books in the series, A Parent's Guide to Attention Deficit Disorders and A Parent's Guide to Childhood Emergencies. She can be reached at 610-642-0885; or e-mail at bain@al.mscf.upenn.edu.
Odom Fanning of Bethesda, MD, claims to be tied for seventh oldest NASW member. He is also my predecessor as book column editor, having served for 13 years in the 60s and 70s. His book, Opportunities in Environmental Careers, published by VGM Career Horizons, Illinois, first saw the light of day on Earth Day 1971 and has had six editions and 25 printings. Fanning says in the preface that the sixth edition is the "first look ahead to a new decade in a new century in a new millennium. It recognizes the changes wrought by environmentalism in the last third of the twentieth century. And it analyzes the implications for young persons contemplating their career horizons in the first third of the twenty-first century. " The book presents expert advice on educational and professional preparation, gives current statistics on salaries and areas of projected growth and contains a list of citizen environmental organizations, publications, and key federal agencies. Fanning can be reached at 301-443-3417. Review copies can be requested from Leah Beaver: 1-800-323-4900.
Simson Garfinkel, a free-lance and editor of As We Were Magazine, has had his fourth book, PGP: Pretty Good Privacy, published by O'Reilly and Associates. Garfinkel says the book has a "split-personality." The first half tells the history of public key cryptography in this country, focusing on the personal struggle of RSA Data Security's president Jim Bidzos to promote the technology and Colorado peace activist Phil Zimmerman's struggle to make public key cryptography free to all. The second half contains an expanded user's guide for Zimmerman's program, PGP. For a review copy, send e-mail to Sara@ora.com or call Sara Winge at 800-998-9938.
Maurice Goldsmith, director of the Science Policy Foundation in London, has written a biography, Joseph Needham: 20th-Century Renaissance Man. Needham was successful as a scientist in morphology and biochemistry; as a philosopher linking science and religion; as a political activist in socialism and social responsibility; and in linking China and the Western world by become an outstanding historian of Chinese science and technology. Published by UNESCO, Goldsmith describes Needham's fascinating personality and commitment to fostering one culture in a world co-operative community. Goldsmith can be reached by phone at: 071-431-4923 or FAX at 071-431-7543.
Eric Hoyt, a prolific Scottish freelance, has written a book on a highly organized society that has fascinated humans--ants. In his new book, The Earth Dwellers: Adventures in the Land of Ants, published by Simon & Schuster, Hoyt describes the work of world-renowned entomologists E.O. Wilson and William Brown Jr. He reveals how ants plant underground gardens, raise other insects as livestock, build their own roadways and bridges, and communicate by a complex system of chemical and tactile messages. He writes about the ants' fierce loyalty to their queen and their organized military protection of their nests. He describes ant society: the leafcutter ant scout whose journeys are followed until she sacrifices her life for her queen; the big, swarm-raider male, who persuades an alien group of ants to accept him, through his scent, so he can gain access to its queen; the fierce Aztec ants whose world is a single tree where they reign supreme. Thomas Lovejoy of the Smithsonian Institution says of The Earth Dwellers: "A modern-day Gulliver takes us to the captivating world of ants--and better yet, in the company of the engaging giants of that science. An alluring and richly fascinating account." Hoyt can be reached by phone 44-1620-893-644 or by CompuServe 100327,1067. The PR is Betsy Areddy at Simon & Schuster. She can be reached by phone at 212-698-7529 or by FAX at 212-698-7336.
Larry Krumenaker and Susan Feldman are the co-authors of The Internet at a Glance which is a set of quick reference cards (spiral bound) for use with common Internet software applications. Information Today, Inc. of Medford, NJ, is the publisher.
Krumenaker says brief explanations of major concepts are included but the book is meant first and foremost as a next-to-the-computer memory aid. Internet at a Glance covers the basics of finding information, navigating the resources and using common client/server software like newsreaders, Web browsers and mail readers. The most used commands are listed for each program and each type of Internet site (World Wide Web, Gopher, e-mail and mailing lists, ftp file libraries, Usenet, etc) comes with representative site addresses, popular archive locations or searching resources found on the Net. Krumenaker, who is our ever-vigilant Sysop, can be reached by phone at 201-358-9560 or by CompuServe: 74111,421. Tom Hogan, Jr. is the marketing director and can be reached at 609-654-6266
Lucy Kavaler's novel, Heroes and Lovers, is now out as a Signet mass-market paperback. Lucy used her experience as a science writer in using the Antarctic and Greenland as background and featuring polar exploration and paleontology. The Washington Post congratulated the author for the "audacity of her plot" and said it "ought to appeal to many readers." The Tulsa World said the "gripping climax is set against the spectacular white continent."
Christopher Vaughan, editor of Biomedical Sciences at Cambridge University Press, Stanford, California, received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly for his book, How Life Begins: The Science of Life In The Womb published by Times Books. The star means a book is "outstanding" and the PW review said: "...Vaughan explains how the fetus practically commandeers the mother's body, tailoring her responses to promote energy storage and manipulating her immune system to override the forces that the body usually launches against invaders. Along the way he discusses genetic influences on personality, sudden infant death syndrome, causes of infertility, current fertilization techniques and the newborn's adjustment to the world. An informative guide for expectant parents and the scientifically curious." Vaughan can be reached by telephone at 415-723-1629; by FAX: 415-723-0625 and by e-mail: vaughan@roslin.stanford.edu. The PR for Times Books is Mary Beth Roche at 212-572-8104.
Stephen Hart's first book, The Language of Animals, is out. It's part of the new Scientific American Focus series. For info, contact Jonathan Landreth, Henry Holt and Company, 212 886-9200, fax: 212 633-0748.
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