From the Book Shelf . . .

Elements of Heat and Mass Transfer

by Vijay Gupta

New Age International (P) Limited, 1995

ISBN 81-224-0800-1

Price Rs. 155/-

IIT Kanpur can be proud that many of its faculty have written superb textbooks. Surely Elements of Heat and Mass Transfer by Professor Vijay Gupta is one of these. I have seen this book in its previous incarnations: as an undergraduate, I was actually introduced to heat and mass transfer through the lecture-notes of Professors V. Gupta and J. Srinivasan which later appeared as the first edition of this book. The current edition is one recently revised by Professor Gupta. The material has been enhanced with every new version.

The best quality of the book is that it gives the student a good feel for the engineering aspects of heat and mass transfer without ever compromising the science aspects of the subjects. Thus while there is a relentless emphasis on common engineering problems and devices, the analysis is always from first principles and from the basic govering equations. This keeps the student ever in touch with the fundamentals. In true IIT Kanpur style, there is a strong emphasis on problem solving and the book has a very good set of practice problems.

The scope of the book is vast. Conduction, convection, radiation and mass transfer can each be the subject of a separate book. To combine them all into one text without being simplistic or neglectful of essentials is an achievement. There is an adequate coverage of all the subjects, and the book contains as much as undergraduates in most engineering disciplines would need to learn.

All in all, it is a very good undergraduate text book, possibly the best from India on this subject, and comparable with internationally published textbooks, some of which are considered classics.

Vinayak Eswaran

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Kanpur - 208016

e.mail: eswar@iitk.ac.in

Industrial Economics: An Introductory Text Book

by R. R. Barthwal

New Age International (P) Limited, 1984

(last reprinted 1997)

ISBN 0-85226-076-8

Price Rs. 100/-

The book is an outcome of the lectures on Industrial Economics given by Professor Barthwal in professional engineering classes at IIT Kanpur. Industrial Economics is a special branch of Economics that deals with the economic problems of industrial organizations and their relationships with society. The main objective of the book is to provide a comprehensive coverage of the subject. Assistance for writing it came from the Curriculum Funds of the Quality Improvement Programme of the Institute. New Age International (P) Limited published it with a grant from National Book Trust (NBT).

Professor Barthwal is an effective pedagogue. The book is written in a simple language. Anybody familiar with school level calculus and algebra can follow it. It is one of the most popular books on the subject used in India and the neighboring countries with a similar industrial climate. It has been reprinted six times. The Curriculum Development Center of the University Grants Commission has recommended it as a textbook for the course: Basic Concepts and Industrial Development of India.

The book is divided into eighteen chapters. Mainly, it describes the forms and goals of industrial organizations, elements of market structure, the cost theory, nature of industrial financing and accounting, investment decisions, the determinants of industrial location, industrial policy, and issues in the analysis and development of labor productivity. It focuses on the issues involved in the measurement of economic variables, and conceptualization of analytical relationships. At several places actual data are presented for illustration. For the IIT students, references to findings of MTech. and Ph.D theses submitted at IIT Kanpur used in the

book should be very interesting. For those planning to make their career in industry Chapter 12, The Analysis of Financial Ratios and Relationships, and Chapter 13, Investment Decisions are bound to be very useful.

The book was written fifteen years ago. The industrial climate in India has changed drastically since then. Therefore there is a need to revise some portions of the book and add a few new topics such as the dynamic relationship between the processes of industrialization and structural change in society, impact of globalization on the industrial policy, and decisions in the new global, postcapitalist phase. Chapter 17, Government Regulation of Industry, needs to be updated and extended. Since the book is being used in many countries outside India, some discussion of industrial policies in other developing countries may also be added. Case studies from industry and statistical data my be added to enhance the value of the book for undergraduate students at IIT Kanpur and universities.

A.K. Sharma

Department of Humanities and Social Science

Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Kanpur- 208016

e.mail: arunk@iitk.ac.in

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