Homegrown Holography by George Dowbenko, and: Holographic Recording Materials ed. by H. M. Smith (review)

Books 345 tant books have been published for artists [3, 4]. Roukes' book concludes with a helpful list of sources of supplies of plastics and of special tools and equipment (mostly North American suppliers), a bibliography giving 18items and a detailed index. References 1. G. A. Agoston, Health and Safety Hazards of Art Materials , Leonardo 2, 373 (1969). 2. J. T. Siedlecki, Potential Health Hazards of Sculptors' Materials, Leonardo 4,381 (1971). 3. M. McCann, Health Hazards Manual for Artists (New York: The Foundation for the Community of Artists, 1975). 4. G. C. Barazani, Safe Practices in the Arts & Crafts: A Studio Guide (New York: College Art Association of America, 1978). Homegrown Holography. George Dowbenko. Amer. Photographic Book Pub. (AMPHOTO), New York, 1978. 166 pp., illus. Paper, $7.95. Holographic Recording Materials. H. M. Smith, ed. Springer, Heidelberg, 1977. 252 pp., illus DM 74.00. Reviewed by Ruth Scheps-Detton" Dowbenko's book comes as a welcome addition to books dealing with the basics of holography. The presentation is clear and designed carefully and the numerous hand-drawn illustrations make the book attractive and easy to consult. He is both a researcher and a teacher of holography in California at the San Francisco School of Holography. His major aim is to introduce the art and science of holography to nonspecialists , and, therefore, he has avoided using the scientific and technical terminology as much as possible. Each special term is defined when it first appears within the text, thus providing readers with a dictionary of the terms and of the concepts of holography, as well as of related optics. The book is divided into three major parts, followed by various appendices. The first chapter, A Light Introduction, presents in a concise manner the notions of optics required for understanding holographic mechanisms. It is a pity that on page 29 the commentaries associated with the drawings of in-phase and out-of-phase waves have been inverted, which may confuse beginners. Nevertheless, this is a well-presented theoretical introduction that provides clear and in-depth explanations , while avoiding mathematical equations. The second chapter, The Holographic Rap, treats the core of the subject. The complex notions that usually discourage nonspecialists are introduced in steps, and Dowbenko attempts to fill gaps that usually separate theory from practice. The last chapter, Basic Holographic Technique, is addressed to practical applications of theoretical aspects of holography and is presented in the form of a detailed list of recipes. The Appendices are selected theoretical and practical summaries of complementary information. They comprise a succint bibliography that will not overwhelm beginners. I found the book captivating and a valuable complement to other bibliographic sources on the same subject. The contibutors to the book edited by Smith attempt to present an inventory of those holographic recording materials known up to 1976. The book is meant for physicists already acquainted with the theoretical background and the basic technical setups of holography. A high degree of homogeneity is obtained in the presentation in spite of the numerous contributors involved. The following items appear in each of the chapters under similar headings: (1) a basic description of the mechanisms involved in each type of holographic recording material; (2) materials, preparation and processing; (3) holographic properties of the materials involved, featuring sensitivity, resolution, image quality and noise, storage (time and capacity), diffraction and efficiency; (4) references. Chapter 1, Basic Holographic Principles (by H. M. Smith), presents a classification of holograms, and their respective diffraction efficiencies is discussed. Chapter 2, Silver Halide "18 bis, Bd. de la Bastille, 75012 Paris, France. Photographic Materials (by K. Biedermann), contains an evaluation of the characteristic parameters of best-known materials for recording visible and invisible radiations and a description of their unwanted side-effects. Chapter 3, Dichromated Gelatin (by D. Meyerhofer), explains how the photochromic processes taking place in the dichromated gelatin are used for photographic and holographic purposes. Holograms produced with this material have high efficiency and low 'noise', but their lack of sensitivity has prevented their extensive use. Chapter 4, Ferroelectric Crystals (by D. L. Staebler), deals with the operation and application of ferroelectric materials, and it is pointed out that they are well-suited for...