Landmarks in Mechanical Engineering Published

For Immediate Release
Contact: John Varrasi
212-705-8158 [email protected]

LANDMARKS IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PUBLISHED

New York, Jan. 9, 1996 -- Landmarks in Mechanical Engineering compiles 135 inventions and other technological achievements set apart for their contribution to scientific growth, industrial development and human progress.

The new book is announced jointly by ASME International (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and Purdue University Press, the publisher.

Largely a chronicle of the 25-year-old ASME History and Heritage program, Landmarks in Mechanical Engineering includes what engineers, researchers and historians consider to be the most significant and the most remarkable in the world, from the era of the Industrial Revolution in England to the Space Age in the United States.

The 135 engineering landmarks in the volume are grouped into main categories including Rail Transportation, Electrical Power Production, Minerals Extraction and Refining, Manufacturing Facilities and Processes, Communications and Data Processing, Pumping and 10 other headings.

Among the machine systems and devices discussed in the 364-page book are the steam engine of Thomas Newcomen (1712), which launched the Industrial Revolution, and the Saturn V rocket which lifted Apollo 11 to its historic flight to the moon on July 16, 1969.

Other landmarks described in the book include the Edison phonograph, Pitney-Bowes Model "M" postage meter, the Pennsylvania Railroad GGI electric locomotive No. 4800, the monorail at Disneyland, and Sikorsky helicopter.

In addition to the famous and recognizable are the odd and obscure: Jacobs Engine brake retarder, "Big Brutus" mine shovel and Archimedean screw pump. However arcane, the machines are viewed as important elements of human history and industrial innovation.

Condensed, easy-to-read passages written by experts in the field support each landmark, as well as suggestions for further reading. Illustrations, machine specifications, biographical information about inventors, and illuminating essays and sidebar articles accompany some landmark descriptions.

The fully indexed Landmarks in Mechanical Engineering is available in hardback for $39.95 and softcover for $19.95. The sole distributor is Purdue University Press, (800) 933-9637.

The ASME History and Heritage Committee, formed in 1971, illuminates our technological heritage via publications, landmark designations, heritage collections and other programs.

ASME International is a 125,000-member engineering society focused on technical, educational and research issues. ASME conducts one of the world's largest technical publishing operations, holds some 30 technical conferences and 200 professional development courses each year, and sets many industrial and manufacturing standards.