Boats By Purdy
Alan Dinn ’64
Tiller Publishing, 2003

This book presents the history of the Purdy Boat Company, one of the most famous makers of custom yachts and racing boats in the 1920s and 1930s. Sparked by the discovery of the company’s original record book, found in a Port Washington, N.Y., attic, the author embarked on a monumental research project involving many for whom the name Purdy evokes a bygone era of classic race boats and cruisers. The text is augmented by photographs and line drawings of classic Purdy boats.

Alan E. Dinn ’64 is a grandson and partial namesake (E. is for “Edward”) of Ned Purdy. A U.S. Air Force captain, he is an engineer at Northrop Grumman Corp.

Biological Vision
James Fulton ’57
Trafford Publishing, 2004

After applying the principles of visual science to military reconnaissance and intelligence for many years, the author has prepared a tutorial integrating the many fundamental mechanisms underlying the visual capability found in the animal kingdom. He provides an extensive series of circuit diagrams and a variety of figures describing the spatial and chromatic performance of the human visual system. The key elements of the midbrain involved in reading are described for the first time.

Jim Fulton ’57, M.E.E. ’59, retired as vice president of Hughes Optical Products in 1989 and since then has operated his own research firm, Vision Concepts.

Fundamentals of Database Management Systems
Mark L. Gillenson ’69
John Wiley & Sons, 2004

Fundamentals of Database Management Systems is a compact, practical introduction that concentrates on providing readers with a clear understanding of database fundamentals while providing a broad survey of all the major topics of the field. The author makes heavy use of examples, including four major examples that are used throughout the text.

Mark Gillenson ’69 is professor of management information systems at the University of Memphis. This is his third book on database management.

Colloidal Dispersions: Suspensions, Emulsions, and Foams
Ian D. Morrison ’69 and Sydney Ross
Wiley-Interscience, 2002

Updating and expanding their popular Colloidal Systems and Interfaces, the authors cover the significant developments of the past 14 years on a wide range of topics, including particles in liquids, interactions at interfaces, surfactants, and the technology of emulsions and foams. Recently developed computer-based methods offer fast, precise measurements of particle concentration, size, and charge by acoustics, application of acid-base concepts to adsorption, the role of electric charges in nonpolar media, and the fundamentals of nanotechnology.

Ian Morrison ’69 was recently named a Cabot Corp. Fellow. Sydney Ross is professor emeritus of colloid science at Rensselaer.