Fingerprint Detection with Lasers, Second Edition, [Hardcover]

E. Roland Menzel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0824719743 | ISBN-13: 978-0824719746 | Edition: 2

Offers up-to-date treatment of fingerprint detection with lasers, including basic principles and equipment, established photoluminescence-based detection techniques and a range of emerging techniques. This second edition summarizes information on time-resolved fingerprint detection, transition selection rules, image intensifiers and CCD cameras, uses of photoluminescence in criminalistics, and scientific principles underlying figerprint detection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book. . .should be read carefully by those contemplating installation of a laser to become aware of [its] special needs and limitations. . .. I would highly recommend it for reading by all those in latent fingerprint work, especially those testifying as experts.
---The Police Chief
. . .a comprehensive treatment of a singular development in the history of forensic identification. It will be of value to those who find, record, and identify fingerprints, and must also explain these activities in adversarial arenas. The book is well-organized and specific sections are easily located....Diagrams and figures assist greatly in the understanding of the science.
---Canadian Society of Forensic Science Journal

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: CRC Press; 2 edition (March 3, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824719743
• ISBN-13: 978-0824719746
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,902,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A science classic, but..., February 3, 2006

By 

Anthony D Ravenscroft (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fingerprint Detection With Lasers (Hardcover)

I'm specifically reviewing the first edition here, published 1980. If this site drags it to a later edition, then please just ignore most of the following -- but at least read the last paragraph BEFORE you buy!!

Basically, as a work in the development of science in the latter part of the 20th century, & specifically as a groundbreaking work in modern forensic detection, this book is remarkable, & deserves no less than 5 stars.

However, think of how far technology has come since then, & don't shell out more than a few dollars unless it's the CURRENT EDITION.

Look, it's a mere 104 pages. And it almost entirely tells you all you'll never need to know about argon lasers -- you know, the big honkers that plug into a 200-volt outlet & require a hookup to the faucet to keep the tube cool.

It's a lot like finding a manual for the Apple IIe: how many of you really need it, & why would you pay $100???

Nowadays, for what an Ar laser (& accesories) used to cost, you could buy a spiffy unit like a Polilight & set up your own lab, & never get around to most of what Menzel says in the first edition.

Aside from that, if you can get this classic for a few bucks, & are into forensic science, you'll enjoy pages 45 through 77 -- which, appropriately enough, is the chapter called "Laser Detection of Latent Fingerprints." So, don't lay out a lot of cash for what amounts to 33 pages!

I can see why Menzel is hailed as a genius: he took primitive (by today's standards) equipment, pulled together a bunch of fragments, & established a solid grounding for crime-scene evaluation that is still being mined.

But do his work justice, & get the most recent edition. Unless you can get the Marketplace seller to ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE which edition they're selling, DO NOT BUY FROM THEM -- save yourself some trouble, & pay Amazon the $100 for a nice fresh copy.