Books and booklets in brief

Abstract

In the history of plant pathology, few universities have been as influential as the University of Wisconsin –Madison. Published to mark the Centennial in 2010 of the great Department of Plant Pathology there, the present book is a relatively informal depiction of the first century of the institution’s life, captured through photographs and anecdotes, together with the personal reminiscences of faculty, staff and alumni. It should be read in conjunction with the companion volume, With One Foot in the Furrow (eds. P. H. Williams and M. Marosy, Kendall Hunt, Dubuque, Iowa, 1986), a formal, exhaustive analysis of the history of the Plant Pathology Department from its foundation in 1910 until its 75th anniversary in 1985. And One Hand on the Bench will, of course, be a source of endless fascination for all those who have worked at or been associated with the Plant Pathology Department at Madison. In addition, however, it is of very great significance to historians of science, since many of the great names of 20th century plant pathology worked or studied there including, from the 1960s onwards (the period most strongly represented in the book), many of the pioneers of physiological and molecular plant pathology. Finally, the titles of this book and of its earlier companion volume, taken together, convey an important message: that in research in plant pathology, although it is important to “keep one foot in the furrow”, as J. C. Walker emphasised to his student, Paul Williams, it is of equal importance to deploy the most advanced laboratory methods available, as John Andrews’ title now reminds us.