New Release Books by Dexter Perkins

There is a large and growing need for a textbook that can form the basis for integrated classes that look at minerals, rocks, and other Earth materials. Despite the need, no high-quality book is available for such a course. Earth Materials is a wide-ranging undergraduate textbook that covers all the most important kinds of (inorganic) Earth materials. Besides traditional chapters on minerals and rocks, this book features chapters on sediments and stratigraphy, weathering and soils, water and the hydrosphere, and mineral and energy deposits. Introductions to soil mechanics and rock mechanics are also included. This book steers away from the model of traditional encyclopedic science textbooks, but rather exposes students to the key and most exciting ideas and information, with an emphasis on thinking about Earth as a system. The book is written in such a manner as to support inquiry, discovery and other forms of active learning. All chapters start with a short topical story or vignette, and the plentiful photographs and other graphics are integrated completely with the text. Earth Materials will be interesting and useful for a wide range of learners, including geoscience students, students taking mineralogy and petrology courses, engineers, and anyone interested in learning more about the Earth as a system.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. This student-friendly text is written in a casual, jargon-free style to present a modern introduction to mineralogy. It emphasizes real-world applications and the history and human side of mineralogy. The author approaches the subject by explaining the larger, understandable topics first, and then explaining why the “little things” are important for understanding the larger picture.

Dexter Perkins was a prominent United States historian and served as Professor and Chairman of the Department of American History at the University of Rochester. Born in Boston, he received his Ph.D. (1914) from Harvard. His first job was teaching at the University of Cincinnati,but he quickly went on to the University of Rochester. Perkins was drafted in World War I and joined the 87th Division; he was commissioned as a first lieutenant and sent to Chaumont, France where the AEF had its headquarters. On his return to civilian life in 1919, he resumed his appointment at the University of Rochester, where he remained on the faculty until 1953. From 1928 to 1932, Perkins was secretary to the American Historical Association. He was also the John L. Senior Professor of American Civilization at Cornell University from 1954 to 1959. He was a former visiting professor at the University of London and Cambridge University. Perkins was the official U.S. historian at the 1945 San Francisco Security Conference that preceded the organization of the United Nations. From 1950-1951, he served as the first president of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a non-profit organization based in Austria whose mission is to develop creative ideas for solving global problems.

"A concise, straightforward, and balanced presentation of the theory and techniques of optical mineralogy. Design fro students to have a hand in the labratory." --Back cover.

The author presents Hughes not only as a remarkable jurist but also as one of the most remarkable statesmen in American history. A well-rounded picture of the man and his career is presented.

Outlines the impact of Roosevelt's presidency on America's economic, political, social, and diplomatic spheres