Customer Reviews

Quantitative-Qualitative Friction Ridge Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Ridgeology (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations)

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If you are a latent print examiner, this book is an absolute must have. Friction ridge skin is unique and persistent. Ridgeolgy will give you a better understanding of friction ridge skin. The book also will also help you explain what you see when you make an identification. If you live in the world of point counters, this book will shock and amaze you. David Ashbaugh is a true visionary in the forensic identification world. This book should be in every crime scene investigator's library.

I don't feel the need to reiterate the praises that have been given this book as to its usefulness for latent print examiners.

I can say, however, that this book is great for students of forensic science (like myself) or the average reader as well. Unlike popular accounts of forensic science, it is not thrilling or adventurous. Those types of books will tell you that a person can leave a fingerprint at a scene, an investigator can find it, and then match it up in a database. Slim on the details, high on the "excitement" scale. And unlike the average MFS class, it is not dry, boring, and intended to give you only enough knowledge to do some damage.

So, for those of us interested in how forensic science -actually- works, and in depth, this book is a great textbook covering all aspects of fingerprint analysis. It includes a particularly good chapter detailing nothing but the ways that fingerprints are formed in vitro - their creation, topology, and cross-section. It includes detail on the many ways that a print can be deposited, as well as the different substrates and surfaces they can be deposited on, and the types of distortion that each of these can cause. This book is not light reading, but if you are truly interested in learning more about how fingerprints work, and how analysts can identify them, then you should have no trouble enjoying this book.

If I were to point out only one flaw, it would be that Ashbaugh's agenda is too much in the fore. I would rather read about how fingerprints are analyzed than hear propaganda backing up the field as a legitimate science. His analysis in and of itself is adequate to illustrate the scientific principles underlying latent print analysis. It would have been more interesting for him to mention some of the reasons people believe that it is -not- a legitimate science, and refute those through simply through the precision of his text.

Well worth reading if you are preparing for the IAI Certification Test. I have learned a tremendous amount of information from this book, from ACE-V to distortions in fingerprints. Recommend this book to anyone that works with fingerprints.

This is an excellant book for all latent print examiners. The book goes into great detail that may not be understood by the average reader not familiar with the science. The book covers the philosophy, methodology, premises, and history of fingerprint identification. This should be the reference book used by all examiners.

The book is well written and easy to follow. It is not for the faint of heart as there is a lot of information on a not so interesting topic.

Thanks to books like this and Amazon, I am now a Criminalist without being broke.

This was an amazing book and the quality was everything I expected. SErvice was great.

As an instructor of Imprint Analysis, I have mixed emotions about this book. If you are in the profession it is a MUST have. However, if you are thinking about using this in an introductory course, I would advise against it. My students have a very difficult time with his writing style. Also, as a professional you can see past the arrogance as well as understand it. As a student, it comes across to many as snobbish and dry. I am having a very hard time teaching from the book.
I agree with the previous reviewer as well that he needs to leave his agenda out of the book and let the reader come to that conclusion based off the facts.
I stress, for a professional or advanced student this is a book filled with knowledge that will assist you for years to come. As a teacher, NOT a good bet for introductory level students.