Here is a letter I just sent to four editors at Wiley, with a copy to Steve Krivit. I suppose Krivit may not be pleased with it. Let me explain some of the background below the message --
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - To Author Services Editors -- I do not know the right person to address this to. I would appreciate it if one of you would forward this message. I recently attended the 16th International Conference on Condensed Matter Nuclear Science, Chennai, India, February 6 -11, 2011. “Condensed Matter Nuclear Science” is another name for cold fusion, also known as the Fleischmann-Pons effect. During this conference, Stephen Krivit (http://www.newenergytimes.com/) announced that Wiley has commissioned him to write a textbook on cold fusion. This raised some concerns among experts in the field. Krivit has made valuable contributions by editing technical compilations. He and Marwan did a superb job co-editing the "Low-Energy Nuclear Reactions Sourcebook" (American Chem. Soc. and Oxford U. Press). He has written non-technical journalistic reports, and with the help of scientists he has written semi-technical articles for the general public. If his plan is to farm out textbook chapters to scientists, it should go well. However, he gave the impression he is planning to write the material himself. He is not qualified to do this. He refused to discuss his plans with the scientists at the conference, so they do not know what he and Wiley intend to do. Most of the leading experts were there at the conference, and some offered to contribute or assist. He rebuffed their offers rather rudely, which left everyone wondering who, if anyone, he intends to work with. One of the professors at the conference pointed out that writing a textbook chapter is the culmination of years of effort. A textbook author must: - Have a professional scientific background - Perform the experiment - Teach university students about the experiment for several semesters - Use the class notes and experience teaching to write the chapter Krivit does not meet any of these criteria. To be blunt, he sometimes makes amateur mistakes when describing technical issues. The experts fear that if he writes the text, the book may have many errors and misrepresentations. If your plan is to have professional scientists write this textbook, with Krivit coordinating and editing, then I am sure everyone in the field will welcome this contribution. Sincerely, Jed Rothwell Librarian, http://lenr-canr.org/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - This is self-explanatory. But let me add a few details that will, perhaps, make it clearer why I sent this message. I would not normally do such a thing, because it is none of my business and I do not care what Krivit or anyone else does with his time, or what Wiley plans to do. In this case, however, I along with several other people at the conference got the impression that Krivit is either crazy, or he is Up To Something Nefarious. Let me explain, and let me again emphasize that this illustrates that if you had the comedy movie rights to cold fusion you could earn millions. Krivit explained first that he has been to visit Richard Garwin, who is not such a bad apple after all, and might be helpful to the field. Then he said he has been commissioned to write a textbook on cold fusion by Wiley. This is a prestigious company and it is highly unlikely they would commission a technical volume from someone who does not understand exponential notation, so the listeners began to suspect that the two events might be connected. Garwin might have put Wiley up to this. We do not trust Garwin's motives. We suppose this is a plan to hatch Taubes II, attacking researchers in the field, and claiming that cold fusion is not fusion but the researchers are conspiring and publishing fake data to make people think it is. In this message I describe Krivit's behavior as "rather rude." That is putting it mildly. just after his announcement I went up to him and asked "do you have the authors lined up? Who are you going to farm the chapters out to?" He turned away so I tapped him on this shoulder and repeated the question. He stalked off, as if I did not exist. Come to think of it, he did not say a word to me during the entire conference. I did not attach any importance to this. In this field one gets used to moody behavior and eccentric people. However, it turns out that he pulled this stunt with several scientists as well. McKubre, naturally, but also several that Krivit has not attacked in his webpage. Or at least, not yet. One of them, who assumed he was on good terms, asked, "Do you have outline for this textbook yet?" Krivit barked back: "Are you talking to me?!" The conversation went downhill from there. The scientist gathers he does not have an outline yet. Asking around, it seems that he insulted, alienated or ignored just about every person who is qualified to write a chapter in a textbook. He has not asked anyone I know to write a chapter, and I know just about everyone. So I suppose he intends to either write the chapters himself, or he is out gathering a panel of distinguished experts such as Robert Park and Richard Garwin to write the chapters instead. That's all we need! Yet another compendium of nonsense attacks from a major publisher. I do not expect an answer from Wiley. It would set my mind at ease if they tell me this is a figment of Krivit's imagination, and no such textbook has been commissioned. I doubt that even Krivit has that much chutzpah. I suppose they really have commissioned him. It would set my mind at ease if Krivit or the editors would reassure me that a reasonable group of experts is being assembled to write the chapters. As things stand, I expect a rotten book will be published. Anyway, my main reason for writing was exactly as stated in the title: I thought I should warn Wiley that most experts in this field have some deep-seated concerns. Unlike Krivit I never do things surreptitiously and I always make my motivation as clear as I can. He probably will not believe me, but when I praised him in the third paragraph, I meant every word. I would would be genuinely pleased if he intends to have experts write a textbook. He is better qualified than I am to do something like this. I might have sent this message to the editors alone, without telling Krivit and without making it public. That would probably save me a lot of trouble. But I would consider that underhanded, and unfair to him. He deserves to know what I and others think of his project. Or at least, what our impression of it is. Perhaps he will correct our misunderstandings and sooth our fears. Or, if not, I rather hope that he considers me so far beneath contempt that he will ignore this message, just as he ignored me in person at the conference. Perhaps that is a forlorn hope. - Jed
