LARRY HUX, the hero of Robert Towers's first novel in 19 years, starts out as a a familiar type in contemporary fiction. In his late 30's, recently divorced, troubled by insomnia and an expanding waistline, he struggles to maintain a dapper public image while his East Side studio apartment sinks into private squalor. Hux doesn't care anymore; he's aliented from his ex-wife, his child, his job, everything. Sometimes he picks up a prostitute, but his potency is shaky. So most evenings he just sits at home, drinking beer and eating pistachios, dropping cans and shells on the floor. All this dreary stuff, however, is pushed aside on page six, when a ghost appears to Hux. Clark Helmholtz, his best friend at Princeton graduate school, is suddenly sitting on Hux's bed; blood oozes from the shotgun wound that shattered Clark's skull and killed him 10 years ago in Mississippi during the turbulent Freedom Summer of 1964. The apparition vanishes, but Hux has been summoned. Trumping up a program for the philanthropic foundation that employs him, Hux heads south, to the land of his birth. His ostensible mission is to canvass the neediness of small Missis Walter Kendrick, who teaches English at Fordham University, is the author of ''The Novel Machine: The Theory and Fiction of Anthony Trollope.'' sippi colleges, but his real focus is the little town of Alhambra, where Clark's acquitted murderer, Dr. Claiborne Herne, still lives. This sharp detour from the expected fictional path is the first of many in ''The Summoning,'' which sets up one conventional expectation after another only to deliver something surprising each time.

The summoning: A novel

Towers, Robert

Harper&Row

This text employs a comprehensive approach to presenting the technical aspects of robotics. Robotics Technology covers the basic principles of industrial robotics, power supplies and movement systems, sensing and end-of-arm tooling, and control systems. The text format is easy-to-follow and highly illustrated, making this an outstanding choice for introductory level robotics courses and robotics technician training.

Robotics Technology

Computers & Technology

Fardo, Stephen

Masterson M.D., James

Computer Science

Goodheart-Wilcox Publisher

This text employs a comprehensive approach to presenting the technical aspects of robotics. Robotics Technology covers the basic principles of industrial robotics, power supplies and movement systems, sensing and end-of-arm tooling, and control systems. The text format is easy-to-follow and highly illustrated, making this an outstanding choice for introductory level robotics courses and robotics technician training.

Robotics Technology (Laboratory Manual)

Robotics: Theory and Industrial Applications is an introduction to the principles of industrial robotics, related systems, and applications. This text is a comprehensive tool in learning the technical aspects of robotics and includes coverage of power supply systems, degrees of freedom, programming methods, sensors, end effectors, implementation planning, and system maintenance. Each chapter begins with an outline of topics, learning objectives, and a listing of technical terms. The key concepts are discussed using a systems approach to enhance student learning. The second edition is updated with full-color illustrations and photos that reflect changes in both the field of robotics and technology in general. The content has been revised to keep pace with robotic technology and reorganized to maximize student comprehension. Various features throughout the text address special interest topics, including pioneers in the field of robotics, careers in robotics, and exciting applications of robotic technology.

Robotics: Theory and Industrial Applications

Ross, Larry

Masterson, James

Goodheart-Willcox

The Laboratory Manual consists of activities and projects for each chapter.

Robotics: Theory and Industrial Applications(Laboratory Manual)