Anne Hart, MA, San Diego author of 42 books and nine screen plays, has just had her newest, New Wave Writing and Publishing On Line, issued by Ellipsys International. The book describes how you can develop a career in the newest emerging media. She relates you how to find a journalism job on-line, how to sell your writing on the Internet/Intranet and the newest ways to enter publishing careers through these timely writing techniques. Among the subjects included are CD-i, digital video, virtual reality, electronic publishing, on-line talent management, production of newest media programming, and Webvideo infomercial script-writing. Anne can be reached at wfst@cts.com.
Dr. Dagmar Henney, a Maryland freelance, is acting as PR for Alan Henney who co-authored The Washington-Baltimore Scanner Almanac with Dr. William Hardman, a Catholic University of America professor of International Affairs. Young Henney is a graduate student at George Washington University. The scanner book is aimed at helping Washingtonians know what's happening in their neighborhoods. For more information, you may reach Dr. Dagmar Henney at 301-270-2531 or by e-mail: henney@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu.
Bettyann Kevles, a freelance from Pasadena, California, is the author of Naked To The Bone: Medical Imaging in the Twentieth Century, published by Rutgers University Press. One of a new series of books on the history of technology sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, it includes the stories of X-rays, CT, MRI, PET and ultrasound. She also describes the impact of what it means to "see through" the human body and how this has changed the law and the arts. She includes the one-time practice of shoe-store fluoroscopes and what they may have done in terms of radiation. There are more than 70 illustrations and a time-line that juxtaposes the development of these technologies with each other, and with historical events. Kevles can be reached at 818-441-2737 or by e-mail: bkevles@aol.com. The PR for the book is Lisa Hansen whose FAX is: 908-445-7039.
Ron Kotulak, science writer for The Chicago Tribune, received a stellar review in The New York Times for his new book, Inside The Brain, published by Andrews & McMeel. The book is based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper series. The Times reviewer observed :"....the ideas he skillfully describes are so important that it is a service to make them quickly available to people who don't happen to live in Chicago. Though the book is a grab bag of interesting subjects, the real meat is in the disturbing middle section on violence and the brain. I cannot think of any book that has covered this territory so well or made so strong an argument that the alarming rise of violence in this country should be treated as a public health problem. " Kotulak can be reached at 312-222-3539.
Ricki Lewis, Ph.D., freelance from Scotia, New York, has had the second edition of her Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications published by William C. Brown. The first edition became a top-selling textbook in college level and advanced high school biology classes--for nonscience majors. Lewis has a doctorate in genetics and does genetic counseling. She also writes frequently for The Scientist and Genetic Engineering. She is an adjunct professor at two universities but says she spends most of her time writing textbooks. She is working on the third edition of Life, a general biology text. Members can obtain a review copy by calling 800-228-0459. Lewis can be reached at 76715.3517@compuserve.com.
The Addison-Wesley Handbook Science Handbook for Students, Writers, and Science Buffs has been published, understandably, by Addison-Wesley Publishers. Assembled by Gordon Coleman and David Dewar, it contains data, nomenclature, definitions, processes and the like in biology, chemistry, geology, physics, and mathematics. Publicity is handled by the publicity department of Addison Wesley Longman, 170 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Tel:212-463-7881.
Simon and Schuster has recently published a number of books on boosting intellect. Among them: Brain Teasers! and Mind Joggers, both books by Susan Petreshene, have activities and worksheets that "Make kids think." They are published by S & S' Center for Applied Research in Education. Brain Games: The Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook by Joan M. Harwell is also published by the Center.
A book published by another division of Simon and Schuster, Prentice Hall, is, as the kids would say "cool" for science writers. It is The Original Internet Address Book which not only has a place to keep your favorite Internet sites but it has on-line keywords, and a number of useful e-mail addresses. The number for Simon and Schuster is 212-698-7000.
W.H. Freeman also has a number of other books that may be of interest to many science writers. Among them:
Privileged Hands: A Scientific Life by Geerat Vermeij, describes the author's exhaustive research of ancient and living mollusks, particularly shells. It describes how species arm themselves, compete, and survive. Dr. Vermeij, a faculty member of the Department of Geology, University of California at Davis, also presents a self-portrait in words describing his views on evolution and biodiversity, and the importance of observation. The publisher is W.H. Freeman and Company.
Gravity's Fatal Attraction: Black Holes in the Universe by Mitchell Begelman, chairman of the Department of Astrophysical, Planetary and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Colorado, and Martin Rees., Royal Society professor at Cambridge University. The book, which has been awarded the 1996 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, provides readers with a dramatic, authoritative account of black holes.
Why Michael Couldn't Hit and Other Tales of the Neurology of Sports by Harold L. Klawans, MD, explains why we are science writers instead of pro ball players. Yogi Berra said "baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical." Klawans, a neurologist and serious sports fan, explains that Yogi's arithmetic might need work but his neurological insight is absolutely right. Dr. Klawans reveals how the accomplishments--as well as failures--of the world's greatest athletes can be traced to events in the brain. Why is the great basketball player, Michael Jordan, only a mediocre baseball player? Dr. Klawans explains how Jordan's unparalleled basketball skills were the result of talents that he acquired and developed long before his 30th birthday. In fact, most athletes, according to the author, develop the specific skills that enable them to rise above the competition during a critical period in their childhood and early teens.
Life At Small Scale: The Behavior of Microbes by David B. Dusenbery, Ph.D., a biologist at Georgia Institute of Technology, explores the invisible world of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms which are the catalysts not only of numerous deadly disease, but of penicillin, cheese and wine. Only by understanding the actual behaviors of microorganisms, argues the author, can be grasped how, for example, diseases actually spread or wines of the finest vintages are produced.
Cheating Time: Science, Sex, and Aging by Roger Gosden, professor of reproductive biology at the University of Leeds, England, and a specialist in the development and aging of sex organs, brings a sense of humor to a subject that will be of interest to everyone sooner or later. Gosden compares our own biological clocks with those of other mammals, fish, birds and even plants.
For information on the W.H. Freeman books contact the PR, Stacey Landowne 212-561-8221.
Sunset Publishing Company has put two books on the market that may be of interest to those who write about diet: Sunset Diabetic Cookbook and the Complete Book of Low-Fat Cooking. The diabetic cookbook has an introduction by two Stanford University Hospitals professionals in the field of diabetes. The PR for Sunset is Claudia Aasen who can be reached by phone at 415- 324-5699 or by e-mail at aasenc@sunsetpub.com.