Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2015 - Science & Technology — Engineering

The gold standard book on renewable energy alternatives is David MacKay'sSustainable Energy: Without the Hot Air (2009), written primarily for Britain but containing applications for the US, in which one finds all the argumentspro and conas well as the pertinent calculations.  Here, Prentiss (physics, Harvard) discusses the same energy resources for the US by optimistically proposing a complete replacement of coal, petroleum, and nuclear energy sources with wind and solar sources and a smart energy grid within several decades.  The text is extremely well written, and the science and engineering concepts are explained clearly. The author makes strong physics arguments for replacing the less-than-50 percent-efficient thermal engines in most cars with electric motors and batteries and for using other renewable energy resources.  She only briefly discusses the problems in setting up a vast infrastructure for so many electric vehicles, wind turbines, and photovoltaic panels.  The numerous charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, and online supporting materials are wonderful features, but the index is too brief.  An excellent substitute book for Americans but not the new gold standard resource for the world energy revolution.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All students, researchers/faculty, and professionals/practitioners.

This unique "nontechnical guide" to one of the world's most critical energy commodities is welcomed with open arms.  The utilization of natural gas liquids is extremely complex, involving science, engineering, production, marketing, business, and economics aspects.  Leffler (formerly, Royal Dutch Shell), with nearly 40 years of experience in all sectors of the business, is eminently qualified to comprehensively and succinctly translate these complexities into easily understandable subjects that importantly affect people's lives.  Chapters deal with the different gases, their history, production, chemistry and physics, refinement, transportation, storage, operations, safety, and maintenance.  Leffler highlights the major fuels and petrochemicals and includes the most interesting and representative profiles of the natural gas industries.  Each chapter concludes with a few instructive exercises.  Outstanding and very helpful illustrations occur throughout the book.  Five appendixes contain carefully selected, essential data.  The writing is superb: simple, direct, logical, and accessible, especially for such technical subjects.  Leffler is also the author or coauthor of other "nontechnical" works, such asOil and Gas Production in Nontechnical Language, coauthored with Martin Raymond (CH, Apr'06, 43-4690).Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates and above; two-year technical program students.

This fascinating book examines the role of bicycles and cycling enthusiasts in the automobile industry and the US's "good roads movement" of the late 1800searly 1900s.  Reid (executive editor of a UK-based bicycle trade magazine) has done an outstanding job of blending history, photographs and illustrations, short stories, quotes, facts, and informational pieces into an easy-to-read, thoroughly enjoyable book.  Comprising 15 chapters, the book introduces early bicycle and automobile pioneers and companies, and describes how many innovations in the auto industry had their roots in cycling.  He also includes a chapter that defines British and US terminology for the benefit of readers on both sides of the Atlantic.  Many of the stories describe the history of cycling in Britain and Europe, but Reid provides excellent coverage of the role of bicycling and early cycling history in the US.  This is a must read for anyone interested in planning and highway design as well as bicycle transportation.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.