2009 McGuffey winner:

An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th ed., by James T. Shipman, Jerry D. Wilson, Aaron Todd, and Charles Higgins, published by Houghton Mifflin (Now Cengage) (College Physical Science category)

Jerry D. Wilson:
"An Introduction to Physical Science introduces the five physical sciences; physics, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology, and geology. Its education goal is to stimulate student interest in and to gain knowledge of physical sciences. The textbook was written on a three-quarter basis and published locally at Ohio University in 1968-70, then nationally by D.C. Heath in 1971. All three sections of the course were taught by the physics department. I wrote the initial meteorology section, as a result of teaching the subject as a graduate student. James T. Shipman, the originator of the book, was going to write it, but was elected department chair and didn't have time. He asked me if I wanted to do it, and thus began a 40-year span with twelve editions.

There have been five co-authors of the book. The other four either no longer contribute or are deceased. (Jim Shipman still co-authors the associated laboratory manual.) Facing the 12th edition alone, I took on another co-author to help, Chuck Higgins, an astronomy professor from Middle Tennessee State University.

The book has become a labor of love and keeps me up-to-date. Monitoring the developments in five disciplines for new editions keeps me busy and occupied."

Charles Higgins:
"The primary goal of the twelfth edition of An Introduction to Physical Science is to stimulate students' interest in and gain knowledge of the physical sciences. Because the world is rapidly being transformed, it is important that today's students advance their knowledge of science. Equipped with this knowledge, they can better adapt to our changing world and make informed decisions that ultimately affect their lives and the lives of others. An Introduction to Physical Science, Twelfth Edition, is intended for the first-year college non-science major. The five divisions of physical science are covered: physics, chemistry, astronomy, meteorology, and geology.

Since 1971 An Introduction to Physical Science has been written to educate people about science. I am proud to be a contributing author for this textbook because I am passionate about science education, specifically the physical sciences. In 2007 I was invited to join the team to help update the chapters on astronomy and effectively take over the role of Aaron W. Todd. The late Aaron Todd was a beloved chemist, professor, and colleague at Middle Tennessee State University and this book is dedicated to him. One of the driving factors to update this book was the multitude of recent discoveries and changes in the field of astronomy. We want to keep the textbook current in all the sciences, as well as add and improve teaching and learning tools for faculty and students."

Thoughts on the award from Jerry D. Wilson, An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th ed.:

"I want to thank TAA and the judges for the 2009 William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award. I like the term 'longevity' for the textbook and me personally. The award is an honor, but not all of this goes to me. Much goes to my co-authors, reviewers, editors, proof-readers, and so on, in the production of the various editions. Personally, I like to think that with 12 editions of the textbook, hundreds of students have learned some physical science.

As a side note, William Holmes McGuffey, of McGuffey Reader and Longevity Award fame, was a professor and 4th president of my alma mater, Ohio University. I don't recall how I got it, but I once had one of his old readers and donated it to the university. And no, I was not in any of his classes."

Thoughts on the award from Charles Higgins, An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th ed.:

"I am very pleased and honored to be included for this award. This textbook has been published since 1971, and I’ve only been a part of it for the last 2 years. Because this is the William Holmes McGuffey Longevity Award, the accolades surely belong to James Shipman and Jerry Wilson, as they are the founding authors."

Thoughts on the award from Mary Finch, Publisher, Physical Sciences & Nicole Mollica, Marketing Manager, Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, publisher of An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th ed.:

"We at Cengage Brooks/Cole are thrilled to see this special honor bestowed to Jerry Wilson for An Introduction to Physical Science. We applaud Jerry’s commitment to the Sciences and value his lifetime work for students and faculty in this important discipline."

Advice from Jerry D. Wilson, An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th ed.:

“… be admonished: of making many books, there is no end…”   Ecclesiastes 12:12

"A bit out of context, but it makes the point. There will always be books written, as long as there are literate persons. The trick is getting a book published. Otherwise, you have a tome on your desk gathering dust. I don’t know much about novels, fiction, and the like. My career has been in academic writing, that is, science textbooks. Here, the subject path is clear. In physical science, there are five major disciplines. In general physics textbooks, all will have sections on mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, electricity and magnetism and so on. These are the accepted or required subjects for students to be 'well rounded.'

Some professors choose to write in the area in which they are teaching a course, believing they can get the subject across better than the adopted class textbook. But even then, you have to consider the competition. When there are several published books in a subject, and each with a substantial percentage of the market, it could be difficult to break in with a new textbook.

So, you have a manuscript. I strongly suggest that you have it locally reviewed and edited so it is as 'clean' as possible. Then, how do you get a publisher’s attention? You could send it to it in to the publisher’s executive editor in your area, but you may not hear back for some time. Another conduit is sales reps. They look for potential new books. The reps report back home and you may get a call or visit from an acquisitions editor. Publishers are always looking for a new book that might shoot the textbook leader out of the saddle.

If you do get a contract, pay particular attention to the schedule and make sure you have time to meet it. (Also, you might have a TAA source look over the contract to see if everything is standard.)  When things get going, you will have reviews, a developmental editor, a copy editor, art work, production editor, first pages and second pages that could come fast and furious. In the old days, we would send in a typed manuscript (no electronic then), and in a week or two the editor would send it back with comments. You would respond… all of this with the U.S. Postal Service. Nice and relaxing. Then came fax, overnight express, and the internet. Manuscripts are now electronic and can easily be corrected and sent by attachments… which they usually wanted yesterday.

You get a contract, have a first edition published, and it is a success. What do you do for an encore to make the next edition 'new and different'?  Many subjects don’t change. In physical science, Newton’s laws haven’t changed for 300 years (physics), acid and base reactions are still the same (chemistry), Kepler’s laws on planetary motion still apply (astronomy), fronts and air masses still give an indication of weather (meteorology), and a rock is a rock (geology).

A couple approaches might be different a format and updating. Design can change page layout… different font, background shading colors, clean margins, etc., that gives the book a new look.  It is your responsibility to keep up with new developments and make new editions up to date. For example, An Introduction to Physical Science, 12/e, was one of the first books to have the demotion of Pluto as a planet and the new classification of dwarf planets. Now there are plutoids, which will be in the next edition or in a reprint if I can get it in. Also, in science, the end-of-chapter questions and problems are changed so that a used book of the previous edition cannot be used in homework assignments.

The bottom line: writing a book is a lot of work, so be prepared. It may take some time. As Somerset Maugham said, 'The trouble with young authors is that they are all in their sixties.'"

Advice from Charles Higgins, An Introduction to Physical Science, 12th ed.:

"This is my first experience with authoring a textbook. My advice to anyone is to have a competent, hard-working, fun-loving, veteran as a coauthor. Thank you Jerry Wilson! With great fortune I was partnered with an outstanding publishing team, Houghton-Mifflin (now part of Cengage Learning). From an author’s point of view, an exceptional senior editor makes your life easy, and Rita Lombard was absolutely wonderful."

Back to Awards List