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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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The History of Cartography, Vol. II, Bk. III, Cartography in the Traditional African, American, Arctic, Australian, and Pacific Societies
D. Woodward and G. M. Lewis (Eds.)
This book is a significant contribution to knowledge in two fundamental ways. It is the first comprehensive treatment of indigenous maps and mapmaking—a topic that has been largely neglected by geographers and historians of cartography who focus almost exclusively on “Western” maps. Second, this work expands the definition of a map to include spatial representations found in dances, songs, gestures, scarification, sculpture, pottery, textiles, and tattoos. These understudied mappings tell us much about the secular, spiritual, and spatial worldviews of indigenous peoples.
Thomas J. Bassett
Geography
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Advanced Synergetics: Instability Hierarchies of Self-organizing Systems and Devices
H. Haken
This book played an important role in the development of my research interest in dissipative systems, and in providing a connection between inert and living systems.
Pascal Bellon
Materials Science and Engineering
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Fault Detection and Diagnosis in Industrial Systems
L. H. Chiang, E. L. Russell, and R. D. Braatz
This was my first textbook, and was the first textbook on fault detection and diagnosis that provided broad coverage of the field. Shortly after publication, the book was favorably reviewed by a senior expert in the field, which gave a nice pat on the back after several years of effort.
Richard D. Braatz
Chemical Engineering
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Community Colleges: Policy in the Future Context
Barbara K. Townsend and Susan B. Twombly (Eds.)
The book I have chosen is edited by two of the most respected author/scholars in my field, community college education. The edited book contains a collection of chapters on some of the most critical policy issues in the community college field authored by leading scholars. Fortunately, my own writing appears in this book as I am a co-author with one of my closest colleagues, Margaret Terry Orr, who is an Associate Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.
Debra D. Bragg
Educational Organization and Leadership
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An Unquiet Mind
Kay Redfield Jamison
I selected this book for personal reasons.
Mary Susan Brewer
Food Science & Human Nutrition
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Uncommon Fruits Worthy of Attention
Lee Reich and Vicki Herzfeld Alein
I like unusual fruits.
Jared Bronski
Mathematics
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Devices of Wonder: From the World in a Box to Images on a Screen
Barbara Maria Stafford and Frances Terpak
Its author, Barbara Stafford, has been an intellectual inspiration ever since I first met her at the University of Chicago, where she was also a mentor. This book in particular concerns technologies of vision that are crucial to my own research in Chinese art history.
Anne Burkus-Chasson
School of Art and Design
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Phenomenological Theory of Linear Viscoelastic Behavior
Nicholas W. Tschoegl
This book provides an excellent introduction to vicoelasticity, and I have found it to be a comprehensive teaching tool in my early years at the University of Illinois. The material provided herin has also served as an excellent foundation for my past and present research in characterizing the tim-and temperature-dependent behavior of asphalt materials.
William Buttlar
Civil & Environmental Engineering
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The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
Edward R. Tufte
This book was influential in my early graduate career when I was learning how to publish scientific articles. As an experimentalist, presenting my data figures honestly and clearly is just as important as writing the text honestly and clearly.
David Cahill
Materials Science and Engineering
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The Goal
Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
This book makes the concepts of process management fun, memorable, and easy. The lessons can be applied to an industrial setting, service business, or personal life. Smooth flow (of widgets, information, or life) requires identification of bottlenecks, prioritization, and focus; sounds commonsense but requires persistence.
Dilip Chhajed
Business Administration
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Reapportionment Puzzle
Bruce E. Cain
Wendy K. Tam Cho
Political Science
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Blue Highways: A Journey into America
William Least Heat Moon
The message of this book is captured at the end, with the author standing on the Outer Banks of North Carolina: in the face of unstoppable change, one needs not stability, but balance. This is a pretty important insight for one’s life. I’m also a “life scientist,” and I believe this insight can even illuminate the interior workings of individual cells.
David F. Clayton
Cell and Structural Biology
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A Philosophy of Music Education: Advancing the Vision (3rd ed.)
Bennett Reimer
Previous editions of this book (1970, 1989) played a key role in shaping the philosophical basis for music education in the United States. Professor Reimer continues to distinguish himself as a leading figure in the profession and alumnus of the University of Illinois.
Gregory DeNardo
School of Music
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Advice for a Young Investigator
Santiago Ramon y Cajal
Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934) was one of the greatest neuroanatomists of the 15th century. His beautiful drawings of nerve cells still inspire. I use techniques developed by Ramon y Cajal in my own research. The advice given in this short book is still fresh today, except for the views on women in science. I feel proud to have proved him wrong!
Susan Fahrbach
Entomology
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The Death of Virgil
Hermann Broch
It addresses in a most spectacular form the role and nature of art, love, and life. I have chosen it as the focal story for an operatic work in progress.
Guy E. Garnett
Department of Music
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The Rumen and its Microbes
Robert E. Hungate
I encountered this book by chance while browsing in the bookstacks of the D. H. Hill Library when I was a sophomore majoring in pre-med at N. C. State University. I was overwhelmingly intrigued with the complexity of the intestinal microbial ecosystem described in the book. This led me to find a laboratory on campus that was conducting research on a related topic. So began my research career. I never considered applying to medical school and am conducting research in a related area now, 25 years later. In addition, our laboratory is now housed in the space formerly occupied by Professor Marvin Bryant, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences while a UIUC faculty member. Professor Bryant began his career as a dishwasher in Professor Hungate’s laboratory in the state of Washington. I met Professor Hungate when he attended the symposium held at UIUC in honor of Professor Bryant’s career. Professor Hungate was 90 years old at the time, and he resides now in Davis, CA.
H. Rex Gaskins
Animal Sciences
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Samuel Johnson: Rasselas, Poems, and Selected Prose
Bertrand H. Bronson (Ed.)
As an undergraduate at SUNY at Buffalo in the ‘70s, I was introduced to exciting new ways of thinking about film, literature, and culture. In reading feminist analyses of gender, psychoanalytic theories on literature and film, and ethnic and racial revisions of history, I learned innovative, politically astute methods of apprehending culture and cultural artifacts. I was deeply enamored with my own critical sophistication. My reading of Dr. Johnson in an introductory English course revealed a past that I had dismissed as hopelessly old-fashioned and unselfconscious. Dr. Johnson possessed a capacious intelligence, sad, sometimes dark, always engaged. He faced hard truths head on, reporting them with a rigor that was somehow kind, in perfectly rounded sentences that seemed to make each observation an aphorism. This book began my love affair with his writings and his century. His thoughts tempered mine. Through him, I came to a far better understanding of the uses and significance of the later theories. His evaluation of my occupation has helped me more than once to deflate any inclinations toward pomposity and pretension: “every man can exert such judgment as he has upon the works of others; and he whom Nature has made weak, and Idleness keeps ignorant, may yet support his vanity by the name of Critick.”
Pat Gill
Institute of Communications Research
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The Logic of Chemical Synthesis
E.J. Corey
The author, E.J. Cory, served as one of my research advisors. This book details a portion of his many seminal accomplishments in synthetic chemistry, provides insights into his creativity, and serves as an inspiration in my scientific career.
David Gin
Chemistry
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Geographies of Latinidad
M. Garcia, a. Valdivia and M. C. Ledger (Eds.)
Geographies of Latinidad represents my journey and the journey of Latina-Latino Studies at the University of Illinois. The book grew out of an informal reading group for Latina-Latino Studies faculty and later a graduate seminar and national conference developed jointly by faculty and sponsored by the Center for Advanced Study in which interdisciplinary perspectives were brought to bear on topics such as gender, race, class, identity, and education. Although only a portion of the participants of that seminar and conference contributed chapters to the book, the spirit of all of us from that first reading group (many who were at the time assistant professors) is grounded in this book. In this sense, Geographies of Latinidad stands for not just me and where I see my research moving, but for the journey taken by my “familia” in Latina/Latino Studies. I am proud to have a chapter in a book with good friends and respected colleagues such as Angharad Valdivia, Alejandro Lugo, and matt Garcia as well as leading scholars in Latina/o Studies such as Gloria Anzaldua, Ian Haney Lopez, and Frances Aparicio. It represents all of the bonds I have and help I have received in terms of getting tenure, but also the crossroads in helping me move beyond a traditional/conservative research perspective in mathematics education for which I was trained and to which I belong, into a more interdisciplinary and global perspective on the ways in which mathematics and democracy relate.
Rochelle Gutierrez
Curriculum and Instruction
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Concerto for viola Pomposa and Orchestra
Rudolf Haken
I chose this work in order to promote my favorite instrument, the viola pomposa.
Rudolf Haken
School of Music
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Ville di delizie o siano palagi comparecci nello stato di Milano
Marc’ Antonio Dal Re
This book is a facsimile edition of selected rare prints of 18th century Lombard villa compound, which formed the basis for my dissertation research and first sole-authored book. Without this book, I would not have had ready access to the prints and accompanying texts since they are located in archives and rare book collections.
Dianne Harris
Landscape Architecture
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Sur la terre comme au ciel: Jardins d’Occident a la fin du Moyen Age
Marion Mangnon and Marion Tenbusch (Eds.)
In my teaching and research, I am interested in the relationship between medieval art and lived experience. This exhibition is a wonderful example of this type of exploration. It juxtaposed objects that ranged from high culture (for example, illuminated manuscripts or panel paintings) to low (for example, watering cans), and through careful consideration successfully revealed how an understanding of the physical experience of medieval gardens helps clarify our visual, literary, or allegorical experience of them in the arts.
Anne D. Hedeman
School of Art and Design
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Prolongation of Life
I Metchnikoff
He was a Nobel Lauate and was one of the first to note the influence of diet and the prolongation of life.
Bill Helferich
Food and Human Nutrition
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Medically Important Fungi: A Guide to Identification, 4th ed.
Davise H. Larone
I selected this book because of its high quality and utility. Teaching mycology to the veterinary students has been an integral part of my life as a faculty member at UIUC. This book will help future students in their studies of infectious disease and pathology.
Lois L. Hoyer
Veterinary Pathobiology
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The Story of the Group of Seven
Lawren Harris
I wanted to choose a book that related to my academic or personal interests, and yet was not likely to go out of date. Moreover, I wanted something that would be new to UIUC. As my academic interests are in information technology, not only was it difficult to choose a book that would not (soon) be out of date, but also one not already held by UIUC. So I turned to my personal interests. As a Canadian whose experience of the U.S. has been rooted in the corn and soybeans of central Illinois, what better choice could I make than something relating to the great Canadian landscape artists of the Group of Seven, whose founding members included Lawren S. Harris, J. E. H. MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston, Franklin Carmichael, and A. Y. Jackson (Tom Thomson, often considered a member of this group drowned in Algonquin Park in 1917, before the first show by the Group of Seven in 1920). I have grown up with their landscape and their paintings, images that still take my breath away.
I have not seen the book that I have requested. In keeping with the information age, I found the book online as well as the rare books store that has it for sale. I have conveyed the request for the book to the library electronically and realize that I may see it for the first time at the reception for newly tenure and promoted faculty. In the meantime, it has been a pleasure and a delight to revisit the Group of Seven, and I hope the book will inspire others to explore these painters and the land they painted.
Caroline Haythornthwaite
Library and Information Science
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Foc’s’le and Glory-hole
James C. Healey
This book is by my grandfather, who went to sea as a cabin boy at a young age. He later worked his way through Princeton and then earned a Ph.D. in sociology, starting a tradition of academic inquiry in our family. I am proud to be the third generation to follow that path.
Paul D. Healey
Library Administration
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Flatlands: A Romance of Many Dimensions
A. Abbott
This book captures a poignant but simple relationship between mathematics and the spiritual underpinnings that many people seek. It provides a lucid explanation of how God may exist, and the human limitations that prevent us from fully understanding his power, using fundamental and basic mathematical principles. It captures a concept that is near and dear to my heart.
Sheldon H. Jacobson
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
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Soil and Water Conservation Engineering (4th ed.)
Glenn O. Schwab, et al.
I use this as a textbook for two classes. This is one of the most prestigious books, and it has been used all over the world as a textbook for Agricultural Engineering students. This book covers the fundamentals of soil and water resources engineering with excellent examples. In the 5th edition of this book (that will be published within the next two years), I will be a co-author of this book.
Prasanta K. Kalita
Agricultural Engineering
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Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
This book teaches the following lessons: the value and responsibilities of friendship; the importance of community; the joy found in everyday activities; and the beauty and ferocity of the natural world. I still read it when I need to be reminded of what matters most.
Julia Kellman
School of Art & Design
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Lend Me Your Ears—Great Speeches in History
Selected and Introduced by William Safire
The speeches in this book, drawn from all of documented history, express an extraordinary collection of ideas on a range of topics. Taken together, they teach, please and never fail to inspire.
Jay P. Kesan
College of Law
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Classical Acting
Malcolm Morrison
Written by one of my mentors in the theatre, this book is a brilliantly concise guide for actors attempting classical texts.
Henson Keys
Theatre
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Strengthening Family Resilience
Froma Walsh
Wish I had written it! Froma Walsh does a wonderful job of describing what family resiliency is, what resilient families look like, and how we can adopt a strengths-oriented perspective to help families manage life’s challenges. The book is a wonderful model of how research knowledge, theoretical frameworks, and practice perspectives can be integrated to develop effective interventions that support families. Froma Walsh will be the featured speaker for the Spring 2003 lecture of The pampered Chef Family Resiliency Program.
Laurie Kramer
Human and Community Development
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Computer Vision: A Modern Approach
David Forsyth and Jean Ponce
Jean Ponce, an author, was responsible for bringing me to UIUC, and it honors him well.
David Kriegman
Computer Science
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Lutyens Abroad: The Work of Sir Edwin Lutyens Outside the British Isles
Andrew Hopkins and Gavin Stamp (Eds.)
Edwin Lutyens was one of the greatest architects of the 20th century; yet because he rejected the tenets and visual forms of the Modern Movement, much of his work remains unfamiliar or relegated to a minor niche as “Arts and Crafts” design. This book introduces scholars and general readers to an array of important Lutyens buildings from France to New Delhi and from Washington, DC to Rome. For my own studies of late 19th and early 20th century architecture, I greatly welcome this significant addition to the literature on Lutyens.
Paul Kruty
School of Architecture
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Mechanics of Motor Proteins and the Cytoskeleton
Jonathan Howard
The mechanical properties of cellular components and of proteins that act as motors in biology are of enormous importance for living systems. This highly readable textbook introduces students to the molecular mechanics of biological molecules. Several important fundamental concepts are introduced and described in a way that is accessible to undergraduates, graduates, and researchers new to the field. The breadth of topics presented should also be of interest to a wide variety of faculty on this campus, including physics, cell biology, physiology, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and chemistry.
Deborah Leckband
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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Multiphase Fluid Dynamics
S. L. Soo
I selected Multiphase Fluid Dynamics in remembrance of Professor S. L. Soo who was one of my mentors. I always remember how he taught me to be a good professor. He was a world-renowned researcher and was the graduate advisor of many prominent professors, including President James J. Stukel of the University of Illinois and Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien of UC Berkeley. It was a great honor for me that he asked me to manage his laboratory and eventually inherit his laboratory after his death in 1998 due to old age. I deeply appreciate the kindness and care from him and his wife, Mrs. Hermia Soo.
Chia-fon F. Lee
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
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D-brane Primer
Clifford Johnson
This book is a review of D-branes, which are important objects in string theory. They were originally discovered by myself and collaborators.
Rob Leigh
Physics
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Precedence and Arrow Networking Techniques for Construction
Robert B. Harris
This book was written by my mentor, Robert B. Harris, who was instrumental in my decision to pursue a career in Construction Engineering and management. An inspiring teacher, a dedicated researcher, and a pioneer, Harris wrote the book with passion, clarity, and an excellent balance between theories and practical applications.
Liang Y. Liu
Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Oh, the Places You’ll Go
Dr. Suess
It is a seminal discourse on the expectations, perceptions and reality of the journey of today’s young adults within the American culture; oh yeah, and it has really neat pictures!
Eric Loth
Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
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The Making of the English Working Class
Edward P., Thompson
E.P. Thompson’s The Making of the English Working Class is, in my opinion, one of the best academic books of the twentieth century. The book’s honest and rigorous examination of England’s industrial revolution has not been surpassed. The book is a very serious reminder of the importance of understanding the everyday life of working class peoples everywhere, especially in relation to the larger economic and political forces that continue to impinge upon them today.
Alejandro Lugo
Anthropology
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The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics
Gary Zukav
With superb clarity and insight, this book explains to the non-expert the strange concepts of modern physics, in such areas as quantum mechanics and relativity. There are many books which endeavor to provide such popular introductions, but this one is truly exceptional in the sense of wonder it conveys. It approaches physics from a philosophical perspective, inviting the reader to ponder the deeper implications of what we have learned. The counterintuitive discoveries of modern physics are compared in a running metaphor to the mind-expanding suggestions of Eastern mysticism, showing how both disciplines ask us to question our preconceived notions of the nature of things. I was greatly inspired by this book when I read it as an undergraduate student, and it still serves as a reminder that science should always be approached with an open mind and a sense of wonder.
Naomi C. R. Makins
Physics
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Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Dogs and Cats
Frank J. M. Verstraete (Ed.)
I am a veterinary surgeon and dentist with a special interest in maxillofacial surgery in dogs and cats. This book will be the first book ever published in the world devoted to the art of maxillofacial surgery. This book will contain 59 chapters written by over 40 specialists with expertise in various aspects of maxillofacial surgery. I am proud to be a contributing author to this book which will serve as the goal standard for maxillofacial surgery in dogs and cats for many years.
Sandra Manfra Marretta
Veterinary Clinical Medicine
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Modern Quantum Chemistry
A. Szabo and N. Ostlund
This is the book which first piqued my interest in electronic structure theory.
Todd J. Martinez
Chemistry
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The Applause First Folio of Shakespeare in Modern Type
Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s First Folio stands as one of the greatest literary achievements of all time. This new edition is the first time the plays have been printed in modern type. Thereby making this monumental work of art more accessible too any reader. It is the cornerstone of all dramatic literature, and it continually informs all of my work in the theatre.
Robin McFarquhar
Theatre
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Religious Ambiguity and Religious Diversity
Robert McKim
I wrote it.
Robert McKim
Program for the Study of Religion
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The Man Who Once Was Whizzer White
Dennis J. Hutchinson
This biography of Justice Byron White is an example of excellent contemporary legal scholarship. It offers an insightful and nuanced account not only of Justice White’s remarkable life, but also of the ways in which personality and human experience shapes the development of law.
David Meyer
College of Law
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Words on Words: A Dictionary for Writers and Others Who Care about Words
John B. Bremner
Narrowing the list to just one book was surprisingly difficult. My first thought was fiction and my favorite political-intrigue novel, Seven Days in May. Then I thought more journalistic: All the President’s Men. Or more personally relevant: Jim Lehrer’s We Were Dreamers. Or more academically relevant: Edward Tufte’s Envisioning Information. Or more classical philosophical: Meditations on the First Philosophy.
In the end, if I had to limit my choice to just one book, either for this honor or for accompanying me onto a desert island, it would have to be a reference work. That gave me the obvious choice: John Bremner’s Words on Words, a psalmist’s concordance to the English language, evocative of my eternal memories of the zealotry of the larger-than-life Australian war hero turned priest turned journalism professor who committed the words to paper and committed me and thousands of others worship at the altar of our language.
Eric Meyer
Journalism
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An Hour before Daylight
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter is an engineer who has directed his problem-solving skills beyond the technical horizon and is a great example and inspiration for all of us.
Jimmy Carter’s rural roots remind me of my own upbringing. It is a way of life that is disappearing, but one worth remembering.
Ty Newell
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
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City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi
Harper Collins
This is a beautifully written, fascinating introduction to a country and a society I knew little about. The book brilliantly interweaves insights into Delhi’s rich culture and turbulent history with social and political commentary and with glimpses of present-day society and attitudes. City of Djinns is often poignant, often humorous, but fundamentally respectful. My former post-doctoral mentor recommended this rewarding book to me, and it’s a pleasure for me to recommend it in turn.
Peter Orlean
Biochemistry
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A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There
Aldo Leopold
It is a classic in the field of Conservation Biology that all should read and heed. As Leopold states, “Like wind and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free.”
Ken N. Paige
Animal Biology
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Hayek and After: Hayekian Liberalism as a Research Programme
Jeremy Shearmur
Friedrich Hayek was one of the greatest economists of the 20th century. It would be good for the library to have a more complete collection of writings on and about him.
Neil Pearson
Finance
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Hearing Gestures: How Our Hands Help Us Think
Susan Goldin-Meadow
Susan Goldin-Meadow, the author of this book, was my graduate advisor. She, more than anyone else, has influenced my career and my scholarship. I am delighted that I can recognize her influence by placing her book in UIUC’s library in honor of my promotion.
Michelle Perry
Educational Psychology
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Severe and Hazardous Weather
Robert M. Rauber, John E. Walsh and Donna J. Charlevoix
I wrote it and its publication coincided with my promotion.
Robert M. Rauber
Atmospheric Sciences
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The Classic Hundred Poems: All-time Favorites
William Harmon (Ed.)
For several years, I have found delight, wonder, and sober reflection in this anthology of the most-printed poems in the English language. These poets, from ancient to modern, use their artistry to probe the universal human experience of searching for meaning and purpose in every aspect of life.
Sam Reese
School of Music
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Pattern and Growth in Personality
Gordon W. Allport
It is one of the classics in my field of study. It has influenced my thinking and research greatly, and I hope to write a pale facsimile of it in the coming years.
Brent W. Roberts
Psychology
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Chusei no chi to gaku: chushaku o yomu
Mitani Kuniaki
This is an invaluable work concerning the intellectual horizons and forms of textual annotation during the medieval era in Japan. We can gain great insight into the milieu in which all manner of textual production was occurring, including a variety of arenas, and especially indicating a close connection between the religious and seemingly non-religious spheres of Japanese society.
Brian O. Ruppert
East Asian Languages and Culture
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Democracy and Disagreement
Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson
This book influenced my thinking on how to conceptualize evaluation theory and practice.
Katherine Ryan
Educational Psychology
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Variational Analysis
R. T. Rockafellar and R. J. B. Wets
It intersects a great deal with my current research interests and is a fantastic book.
Nick Sahinidis
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors and the Collision of Two Cultures
Anne Fadiman
I happened upon this book in Barnes and Noble quite by accident just as I was about to begin a major new research initiative looking at the health impacts of environmental contaminants in Hmong refugees. It opened my eyes to Hmong culture, helped me to understand how Hmong people conceptualize health and disease, and, perhaps most importantly, caused me to stop and reflect on what it means to be an American.
Susan L. Schantz
Veterinary Biosciences
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Design for Environment
Graedel and Allenby
As a person concerned about the environment, but also very aware of the need for engineering projects, I selected a book that would enable engineers and other scientists to think about the impact on the environment and ways they can help solve some of the problems.
Mary C. Schlembach
Library Administration
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Vitamin P: New Perspectives in Painting
Barry Schwabsky
Rosalyn D. Schwartz
School of Art and Design
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V
Thomas Pynchon
Like great food, Pynchon writes books that can be experienced again and again without losing their appeal. The many plot threads in V are definitely secondary to the writing itself, which (at least for me) forms a fascinating ocean of words that I never tire of diving into, sometimes floating near the surface and sometimes descending into the murky depths.
Mats Selen
Physics
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The Killer Angels
Michael Schaara
Killer Angels is about the Battle of Gettysburg. The movie Gettysburg is based on the novel. Most of the movie was filmed near my home in Pennsylvania. The U.S.A., as we know it, may have ceased to exist had the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War had different outcomes.
Jim Shriner
Special Education
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The Philosophical Discourse of Modernity
Jurgen Habermas
Mirjana Soltirovic
Journalism
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An Introduction to Composite materials, 2nd Edition
Derek Hull
Nancy R. Sottos
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
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Concrete, 2nd Edition
S. Mindess, J. F. Young and D. Darwin
I am selecting this book because it is a new edition of a textbook we have used for many years in teaching here and because one of the authors, J. F. Young, was a valued colleague here for many years.
Leslie Struble
Civil and Environmental Engineering
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The Gift Relationship: From Human Blood to Social Policy
Richard M. Titmuss
Titmuss’ imaginative investigation of voluntary and commercial systems of blood collection inspired me to take up the study of foster care to address a basic question of social policy: Are human needs better met by applying the economic principles of the marketplace or by instilling in people the social values of altruism and reciprocity?
Mark Testa
School of Social Work
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Up from Puerto Rico
Elena Padilla
I selected Up From Puerto Rico because Elena Padilla’s work and life constitutes part of an intellectual legacy in the discipline of Anthropology and Puerto Rican Studies that has been overlooked in the academy. Her recognition in the field is long overdue.
Arlene Torrres
Anthropology
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The Gift
Vladimir V. Nabokov
Set in Berlin in the late 1920s, The Gift is a love letter to Russia, Russian literature, and the woman who became Nabokov’s wife. I first read it (in English) in 1977 and learned Russian just so that I could read it in the original. A masterpiece.
Aaron Trehub
Library Administration
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Design and Performance of Road Pavements
Paul Croney, David Croney
Erol Tutumluer
Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Books by Jules Verne made a lasting impression on me. I must have read this particular book a dozen times at least (although in my native language) as a kid. Perfect combination of science and fiction. These books got me thinking about science and engineering.
Nitin H. Vaidya
Electrical and Computer Engineering
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The Primrose Path
Bram Stoker
The first novel published by Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, The Primrose Path has just recently been rediscovered and reissued, and the UIUC Library as yet has no copy. In my recent study, Dracula’s Crypt, I provide the first critical reading of this novel on record and establish its importance as an expression of Stoker’s Irish self-image.
Joseph Valente
English
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Factotum
Charles H. Bukowski
Bukowski summarizes the relationship between the individual and society in Factotum, chronicling the enervating effect of most work on our humanity. From the disconnection he formulates a philosophy of endurance: those who endure [society] and ultimately prevail [at anything] gain a freedom that separates them from others.
Eric R. Vimr
Veterinary Pathobiology
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Mechanisms of Disease
David O. Slauson and Barry J. Cooper
The book I selected has been in many ways a handbook for my teaching career. I read the first edition from cover to cover when preparing for the veterinary pathology board examination and found the book’s exquisite organization yet easy going style to fit my style of learning like a hand in glove. Accordingly, I have used the second and third editions as the text for my course in General Pathology, taught to second year veterinary students. I follow in general its organizational scheme and have emulated its easy going style. General Pathology has been transformed from a course that was formerly dreaded to one that is anticipated.
Matt Wallig
Veterinary Pathobiology
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Chained in Christ: The Experience and Rhetoric of Paul’s Imprisonments
Craig S. Wansink
The author is one of the most inspiring professors I know. He inspires not only through his research and service but also in the way he impassions his students. This book shows how a 2000 year old topic can be made as fresh and interesting as tomorrow’s news. Oh, yes, he’s also my brother.
Brian Wansink
Business Administration
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Clones and Clones: Facts and Fantasies about Human Cloning
Martha Nussbaum
Nussbaum is such a marvelous writer and thinker. Her words make you think and because she is so accessible, she reaches many and challenges others to think.
Lynn Wiley
Library Administration
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The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935
James D. Anderson
Arlette Ingram Willis
Curriculum and Instruction
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Fohrer Gronlandfahrer
Erich Riewerts and Brar C. Roeloffs
This book chronicles my mother’s rich heritage dating back to the 16th century. My ancestors were sea captains and farmers from the German Island Fohr. I was struck by how greatly my family was influenced by strong, dominant women, who ran the farms while the men were away at sea.
Brenda Anne Wilson
Microbiology
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Time Series Analysis: Nonstationary and Noninvertible Distribution Theory
K. Tanaka
This book is a very good text with coverage at an advanced level of limit distribution theory for unit root models and small cointegration systems with a focus on the Fredholm approach to characterizing the distribution of functionals of stochastic processes like Brosonian motion.
Zhijie Xiao
Economics
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This book describes the trials and tribulations of a bumbling young scholar’s quest to join the faculty of an academic institution in post-war England. It’s a tragic-comical story that pokes fun at the self-absorbed seriousness of academic life. I thought of this book frequently during my time as assistant professor, and it helped me keep work, family and competing outside interests in perspective.
Greg Youngen
Library Administration
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Theory of Ground Vehicles
J. Y. Wong
This book provides the fundaments of the off-road equipment engineering which is the area I’m working on.
Qion Zhang
Agricultural Engineering
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Statistical Theories of Mental Test Scores
Frederic M. Lord and Melvin R. Novick
Theory exploration and development are always at the research core in any discipline. In educational and psychological measurement, there are two major testing theories today: classical testing theory (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). Statistical Theories of Mental Test Scores by Lord and Novick (1968), with contributions by Allan Birnbaum, is the best classic book describing both theories, I believe. The book helped me a lot in understanding both theories and it is one of the references I used more frequently when I built my line of research in IRT and Kinesiology. I am building a Kinesmetrics (measurement and evaluation in Kinesiology) doctoral program at UIUC now and this will be a required book for my doctoral students to read.
Weimo Zhu
Kinesiology