Forty years of radio research

BOOK NOTES THE CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY OF LEATHER, VOL. III, PROCESS CONTROL OF LEATHER QUALITY, edited by Fred O'Flaherty, William T. Roddy, and Robert M. Lollar. ACS Monograph #134, 518 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 6 X 9 in. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1962. Price, $15.00. This is the third volume in a series that represents a complete up-to-date body of knowledge on all technical aspects of tanning and leather manufacture. It covers the role of finishing operations in establishing the utility of leather and describes the finishing procedures for various types of leather. Topics fully discussed are the mechanism of leather dyeing, the chemistry of fatliquoring emulsions, and fatliquoring practice and theory. The water barrier characteristics of leather are covered, as well as the mechanism and practice of leather drying, methods for tannery waste and sewage disposal, and the application of organic solvents for tannery practice. Separate chapters describe modern production procedures for calfskin, side, white, split, upholstery, sole, industrial, goatskin, sheepskin, glove, and novelty leather. Volume I in this series covers preparation for tannery ; Volume I I, modern tannery methods and technology. A fourth volume on basic properties of leather and methods of evaluating these properties will complete this reference set. FORTY YEARS OF RADIO RESEARCH, by George C. Southworth. 274 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 6 X 9 in. New York, Gordon and Breach, Inc., 1962. Price, $6.50. This unique history of the development of modern radio is also a warm and informative autobiography by one of the pioneers of radio research. It gives a first-hand account of radio's dramatic growth--from crystal detection and spark telegraphy to microwaves and radio astronomy. Dr. Southworth describes the practical development of radio 520

as he saw it, tracing its evolution from shortly after the turn of the century--and a "frequency frontier" of some 1.5 megacycles--to the present day, when techniques involving frequencies of many thousands of megacycles are commonplace. Waveguides and microwave techniques, developed in large part by the author, play an important part in this story. Many photographs, diagrams and line drawings have never been published before. JOURNALreaders may recall that Dr. Southworth received the Levy Medal in 1946, for his JOURNAL paper on "Microwave Radiation from the Sun." FOOD PLANT SANITATION,by Milton E. Parker and John H. Litchfield. 401 pages, diagrams, illustrations, 6 )< 9 in. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1962. Price,

$12.00. This new reference book covers all the latest technical advances in food plant sanitation as well as the most up-to-date sanitation requirements arising from recent amendments to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Especially timely are the chapters on sanitary layouts of buildings and equipment, establishing and maintaining effective sanitary practices, evaluation of sanitary procedures (especially quality control techniques), legal aspects of pest control, and sanitary aspects of food packaging materials. Valuable material is also included on water supply and waste disposal (including anaerobic treatment, composting, by-product utilizatlon); latest detergency and cleaning practices (including ultrasonic cleaning, cleanin-place techniques, use of surface-active agents and phosphates); radioisotopic techniques for evaluating cleaning practices, control of microorgauisms in food plants, and new techniques for evaluating effectiveness of germicidal agents. This thoroughly illustrated work offers a broad coverage of all aspects of present-day practices in food sanitation. It will prove of value to everyone associated with sanitation problems in the food-processing industries.