Tod Levitt (ADS, Mountain View) reports that Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. has acquired Pergamon Press. (Pergamon authors will continue to deal with their usual editors.)

Tod also says that it's easy to get a technical book published. Almost any technical publisher (e.g., Elsevier, Pergamon, Kluwer, Academic Press, Springer-Verlag) will publish a book recommended by one of its technical editors. A good place to hunt for a publisher is "publisher's row" at any large technical conference and trade show. Editors, mostly professors and industrial researchers, are listed in the flyleaves of books. Laveen Kanal (UMaryland), for example, is an Elsevier technical editor for pattern recognition, artificial intelligence, and other topics.

Don't expect to make any money from the book, but writing is an "easy" way to get publicity and establish technical credibility -- if you have a book topic. Many publishers, especially Kluwer, will publish your manuscript right off your laser printer, without typesetting and without editorial review -- at least if you have any credibility in publication circles (e.g., a track record of professional journal publications, or a senior research position).

[If you need to make money from the book, consider self-publishing. Books are available that teach how to do it, and any book printer will be happy to work with you. (Avoid vanity presses, though.) Most of the work is done by the time you have camera-ready copy from your laser printer -- but consult with your printer first. The key to sales is to notify standard announcement channels and send out review copies prior to the official publication date. You can get a run of 500 to 2000 copies for a few dollars per copy, delivered to your [tax-deductible!] garage. Book jobbers and sales reps will expect discounts of 40% or so, but the profit per copy can still be substantial. You are likely to make more from personal effort than from routine distribution by a major publisher. If the book really succeeds, you can sell out to a publisher with broad distribution channels.]