Messenger - Vol. 3, No. 4, Page 24
Summer 1994
Between the covers

     In Memoriam: A Guide to Modern Funeral and Memorial Services by
Edward Searl, Delaware '69. Skinner House Books. In this 120-page
paperback, the author, a Unitarian Universalist minister, provides
suggestions and alternatives to standard services. Included are
samples from Native American and Quaker cultures, worksheets for
writing an obituary and more.

     The Racial Economy of Science, Toward a Democratic Future by
Sandra Harding, UD professor of philosophy. Indiana University Press.
This compendium of more than 33 essays and statements gives a critical
overview of Western science and its impact on racial and gender issues
and Third World countries. Darlene Clark Hine, professor of history at
Michigan State University, writes: "This brilliantly edited book is
essential reading for all who seek understanding of the multicultural
debates of our age. Never has a book been more timely."

     The Judas Pool by George Owens, Delaware '78. G.P. Putnam. This
psychological thriller set in Lewes, Del., tells the story of a high
school music teacher and part-time jazz musician who is falsely
accused of sleeping with one of his students and then must fight to
clear his name after the girl drowns.

     Jacobean Applique: EXOTICA by Mimi Ayars, Delaware '43, '49M.
AQS. Ayars wrote and illustrated this 160-page guide to creating a 65"-
by-65" wall hanging quilt using the Jacobean, or crewel, technique.
The book features detailed instructions and color photographs.

     Mechanism Analysis by Lyndon O. Barton, Delaware '72M. Marcel-
Dekker Inc., N.Y. Written for design engineers and students, this
revised and expanded second edition covers a wide assortment of
graphical and analytical techniques for solving problems related to
linkages, gears and cams. Engineering Designer says, "Offering step-by-
step instruction, this practical volume gives practicing engineers and
students alike an invaluable single source of information for all
their machine design needs."

     Un-American Activities: The Trials of William Remington by Gary
May, UD professor of history. Oxford University Press. Focusing on the
McCarthy era, May charts the rise and fall of a high government
official accused of being a Communist and Soviet spy. May's research
shows that, while Remington was no hero, the government bent and broke
the law to convict him and then failed to adequately protect him in
prison, where he was beaten to death at age 37. Kirkus Reviews cites
the book for its "meticulous research and lucid presentation."

     Engineering and the Mind's Eye by Eugene S. Ferguson, UD
professor emeritus of history. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Press. The book, which also appears in a German edition, examines the
progress of engineering design from Renaissance drawings to buildings
designed with the aid of computers, including the Hartford (Conn.)
Coliseum that collapsed after a light snow. According to a review in
The New York Times, the underlying theme of the book is that engineers
must "think and communicate visually."

     Progress and the Quest of Meaning: A Philosophical and Historical
Inquiry by John Andrew Bernstein, UD professor of history. Fairleigh
Dickinson University Press. A broad overview of the historical
background of modern progressivism and its hope for continual
improvement in the human condition, the book includes brief
descriptions of the philosophies of Frederick Nietzche, Immanuel Kant,
St. Augustine and Sir Francis Bacon.

     Shen Pao-chen and China's Modernization in the 19th Century by
David Pong, UD professor of history. Cambridge University Press. A
study of China's struggle to modernize in the face of Western and
Japanese imperialism, Pong's book focuses on the building of China's
first modern naval dockyard and academy, while examining the role of a
traditional scholar-official in managing this novel enterprise.
Nominated for the John King Fairbank Prize awarded by the American
Historical Association for books on China, Inner Asia, Korea, Japan
and Vietnam, the book also examines the issue of reforms and the fate
of modern China and the relationship between tradition, Confucianism
and modernity.