If you have published a general-interest book in the past six months, please let us know. Review copies can be mailed to: Virginia Tech Magazine, 105-A Media Bldg. (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 to The Grove (0446), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061.
MEMOIRS
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My Brother, Your Father by M. Blair Smith (electrical engineering '62) is the true story of the Clayton Smith family, who lived in the railroad community of Clifton Forge, Va., during the Great Depression and World War II. Narrated by the family's middle son, the story moves through the Korean War and the adulthood of the three brothers, capturing the spirit and attitudes of small-town America during the first half of the 20th century.
The publisher is 1st Books (1663 Liberty Dr., Ste. 200, Bloomington, IN 47403); http://www.1stbooks.com.
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Professor Emeritus of Architecture Donald R. Sunshine began sketching when he "decided to hang up [his] camera [because] the next 'Kodak moment' was just too easy." To that end, Sunshine has compiled two lovely volumes with "sketches, diagrams, notes of observations, ideas, and things to remember." Recollections of an Urban Refugee brings to life the Appalachian adventures of Sunshine's past 25 years on his farm in Blacksburg. The Molokai Sketchbook: Untouched Places 5 presents notes and sketches of an unspoiled Hawaiian island as an example for others to similarly capture travel memories.
The books are available at Printers Inc. and the University Bookstores in Blacksburg.
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TECH FOOTBALL
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All Hokie football fans will want a copy of Tales from the Virginia Tech Sidelines: A Collection of the Greatest Stories Ever Told by Chris Colston (marketing '80), former editor of the Hokie Huddler. This collection recounts countless humorous "inside" anecdotes of Tech football from the Frank O. Moseley era to Frank Beamer's highly successful tenure, including the 1999 Sugar Bowl game.
The publisher is Sports Publishing, LLC (804 N. Neil St., Champaign, IL 61820); http://www.sportspublishingllc.com.
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FINANCE
| In Beyond the Random Walk: A Guide to Stock Market Anomalies and Low Risk Investing, J. Gray Ferguson Professor of Finance Vijay Singal has fine-tuned decades of academic research in his discussion of market anomalies and those times when "certain stocks sell at a price higher or lower than the right price." Both accessible and useful to readers of varied backgrounds, the text explains such anomalies as the "December Effect" and "Merger Arbitrage" and describes how investors can potentially exploit such situations for profit, as well as the risks involved.
The publisher is Oxford University Press (198 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016); http://www.oup-usa.org.
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HISTORICAL
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Rich Man: Daniel Boone by Everett Gary Marshall (metallurgical engineering '65) tells the story of Joseph Hampton Rich, who headed the Boone Trail Highway and Memorial Association from 1913 to 1938, during which 358 monuments to Daniel Boone were erected across the United States. The text catalogs each monument and includes both historic and contemporary photographs.
The publisher is Sugar Tree Enterprises (1370 Ocala Rd., Dugspur, VA 24325); http://www.tradingford.com/rich_man.html.
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RELIGION
| An Episcopal priest who teaches in the communications and interdisciplinary studies department at Georgia College & State University, C.K. Robertson (communication studies '85) has edited three books that address the interactions of religion and different aspects of popular culture. The first in the series is Religion as Entertainment; the second, Religion and Alcohol: Sobering Thoughts, will be available in February; and the final text, Compromising Positions: Essays on Religion and Sexuality, will be available in late 2004.
The publisher is Peter Lang Publishing Inc. (275 Seventh Ave., 28th Floor, New York, NY 10001); http://www.peterlangusa.com.
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FICTION
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The author of six books, including Rocket Boys, on which the film "October Sky" is based, Homer Hickam (industrial and systems engineering '64) has written a new novel. Set in the years leading up to World War II, The Keeper's Son is the story of Josh Thurlow, the son of the lighthouse keeper on tiny Killakeet Island of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Instead of following family tradition, Thurlow chooses to command a small Coast Guard patrol that is ultimately confronted by a "wolf pack" of German U-boats.
The publisher is St. Martin's Press (175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010); http://www.stmartins.com.
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CUISINE
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A food and travel columnist, Linda Bauer (M.S. vocational industrial education '78) and her husband, Steve, capture a bit of the Lone Star State's culinary diversity in Recipes from Historic Texas. Visiting restaurants in unique historic settings--among them, a gristmill, a Dr. Pepper bottling plant, a stagecoach, and a funeral home--in the state's seven "provinces" the authors have collected two recipes (132 in all) from each establishment, ranging from the Cowboy Omelet at The Pig Stand in Beaumont to the Jicama Salad at Big D's famed Mansion on Turtle Creek.
The publisher is Taylor Trade Publishing (4501 Forbes Blvd., Ste. 200, Lanham, MD 20706); e-mail: eweiss@rowman.com.
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