If you have published a general-interest book in the past six months, please let us know. Review copies should be mailed to Virginia Tech Magazine, 105 Media Building (0109), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
Books submitted to Virginia Tech Magazine for review will be donated to the library in The Grove, home of President and Mrs. Charles W. Steger, unless authors specifically request their return. Faculty, staff, and alumni wanting to contribute other books they have written should mail the books directly to The Grove (0446), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
FICTION
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Drastic Measures by Jason Melby (mathematics '95) contrasts the lives of two strangers--Zach, a financial consultant, and Sammy, a veteran tormented by flashbacks of Vietnam--who cross paths after the abduction of Zach's wife. Ten percent of the book's royalties will be donated to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
The publisher is PublishAmerica (P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705); http://www.publishamerica.com.
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Professor of English Edward Falco's Sabbath Night in the Church of the Piranha: New & Selected Stories gathers together the very best of his edgy, emotionally powerful stories.
The publisher is Unbridled Books (200 N. 9th St., Ste. A, Columbia, MO 65201); http://www.unbridledbooks.com.
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AMERICAN HISTORY
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In Lone Star Rising: The Revolutionary Birth of the Texas Republic, Professor of History and Director of Programs for the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies William C. Davis combines the latest scholarship on the military battles of the Texas revolution--including research from seldom used Mexican archives--with a comprehensive examination of the politics on all sides.
The publisher is Free Press (1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020); http://www.simonsays.com.
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Edited by Alumni Distinguished Professor of History James I. Robertson Jr., Soldier of Southwestern Virginia: The Civil War Letters of Captain John Preston Sheffey paints an invaluable picture of socio-military affairs in an often historically overlooked region of the commonwealth during the War Between the States.
The publisher is Louisiana State University Press (P.O. Box 25053, Baton Rouge, LA 70894); http://www.lsu.edu/lsupress.
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A nuclear scientist, Ray Dewberry (chemistry '74) has changed courses for his first book, History of the 14th Georgia Infantry Regiment. Constructed around quotations from letters written by soldiers of Company A, the text provides a detailed combat history of the regiment's Virginia campaign.
The publisher is Heritage Books Inc. (65 E. Main St., Westminster, MD 21157); http://www.HeritageBooks.com.
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Yours for the Union: The Civil War Letters of John W. Chase, First Massachusetts Light Artillery, edited by John S. Collier (engineering mechanics '66) and Bonnie B. Collier, captures the life of Civil War soldier, cabinetmaker, widower, and father of four young children, John Chase, who enlisted as a private and served with the Army of the Potomac.
The publisher is Fordham University Press (University Box L, Bronx, NY 10458); http://www.fordhampress.com.
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Old Alleghany: The Life and Wars of General Ed Johnson by Gregg S. Clemmer (biology '72) is a biography of one of the South's best division commanders, Edward "Alleghany" Johnson, known for his no-nonsense attitude and devotion to the Confederate cause.
The publisher is Hearthside Publishing (14513 Brookmead Dr., Germantown, MD 20874); e-mail: hearthsidepubco@aol.com.
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In The Lamp and the Cross: A History of Averett College 1859-2001, Averett University Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Political Science Jack Irby Hayes Jr. (M.S. history ’68) examines the college's history and mission in context of larger educational concerns in the U.S.
The publisher is Mercer University Press (1400 Coleman Ave., Macon, GA 31207); http://www.mupress.org.
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A workbook targeting business communication instructors, students, and freelancers, Communication Tools Made Easy by Wendy Hart Beckman (geology '80) presents the nuts and bolts of computer software/hardware, oral and written communications, graphics and photography, business etiquette, and professional collaboration.
The publisher is Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co. (4050 Westmark Dr., P.O. Box 1840, Dubuque, IA 52004); http://www.kendallhunt.com.
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Click, Click, Who's There? by Lisa Koh (elementary education '82) provides a family-oriented approach to the Internet to help parents ensure the safety of their children's online experiences.
The publisher is LHK Publishing, LLC (P.O. Box 473312, Charlotte, NC 28247); e-mail: lhkbooks@earthlink.net.
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Edited by Robert E. Denton Jr., professor, and Rachel L. Holloway, department head and associate professor of communication studies, The Clinton Presidency: Images, Issues, and Communication Strategies is a collection of essays that analyzes the rhetoric, images, issues, and media tactics employed by the Clinton administration.
The publisher is Praeger Publishers (88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881); http://www.greenwood.com.
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Written for a sixth- to eighth-grade audience, National Parks in Crisis: Debating the Issues by Wendy Hart Beckman (geology '80) discusses the major issues facing national parks today, including fire, animal, plant, and visitor management, cultural preservation, safety, and conservation.
The publisher is Enslow Publishers Inc. (Box 398, 40 Industrial Rd., Dept. F61, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922);
http://www.enslow.com.
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ELECTRICAL & COMPUTER ENGINEERING
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Nano, Quantum and Molecular Computing: Implications to High Level Design and Validation, edited by Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Sandeep K. Shukla and R. Iris Bahar, presents research material and new ideas useful for research in nanocomputing at the system level design. |
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Edited by Rajesh Gupta, Paul Le Guernic, Jean-Pierre Talpin, and Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Sandeep K. Shukla, Formal Methods and Models for System Design: A System Level Perspective compiles articles written by industrial and academic experts addressing recent developments in formal methods in system design. |
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SystemC Kernel Extensions for Heterogeneous System Modeling: A Framework for Multi-MoC Modeling & Simulation, by Hiren D. Patel and Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Sandeep K. Shukla, seeks to understand how SystemC can be useful for system level modeling at higher levels of abstraction.
The publisher of all three volumes is Kluwer Academic Publishers (P.O. Box 989, 3300 AZ Dordrecht, The Netherlands); http://www.wkap.nl.
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Specifically targeting high school students who will take the AP exam, Java Software Solutions for AP Computer Science by John Lewis (computer science '86; M.S. '89; Ph.D. '91), William Loftus, and Cara Cocking (computer science '96; M.S. curriculum and instruction '98) provides an introduction to Java programming language and basic programming concepts.
An associate professor at Villanova University, Lewis has also co-authored Java Software Solutions: Foundations of Program Design; Java Software Structures: Designing and Using Data Structures; and Computer Science Illuminated.
The publisher is Pearson Prentice Hall (One Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458); http://www.aw-bc.com.
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Written by Patrick J. O'Connor (Ed.D. vocational-technical education '82) and illustrated by his son, Patrick A. O'Connor, Think You Know America: An Inside Look at the Names of American Cities is filled with fun facts about America's cities, while Now You Know America: Odd & Interesting Stories of American Cities includes such unique information as the country's oldest soft drink, the first daylight bank robbery, and the invention of the popsicle. Proceeds from the sales of both books support the work of the Dennehy Foundation, dedicated to helping adults improve their reading skills.
The publisher is the Dennehy Foundation (P.O. Box 48, Kent, OH 44240); http://www.oconnorcentral.net.
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| The fourth book of poetry by Karen Gillman (M.S. management, housing & family development '74), Poems: One Way to Enter Myself Singing captures a vast array of familial experiences in spare and often playful verse.
The publisher is Wyndham Hall Press (5050 Kerr Rd., Lima, OH 45806); http://www.wyndhamhallpress.com.
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Professor of Geography Joseph L. Scarpaci's Plazas and Barrios: Heritage Tourism and Globalization in the Latin American "Centro Histórico" analyzes the urban cores of nine Latin American cities and their eventual transformations from town plazas to historic centers.
The publisher is the University of Arizona Press (355 S. Euclid Ave., Suite 103, Tucson, AZ 85719); http://www.uapress.arizona.edu.
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