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The "cold fusion story" is told here in about the degree of detail characteristic of the special features pages of a good newspaper; those who followed the story as it broke will encounter here little or nothing that is new, but others may find this a handy resource. The author provides enough simple background material to permit non-scientific readers to understand the technical points at issue, and has been at pains not to take sides. The story may retain no relevance to the enduring substance of science, but it reveals tellingly some disturbing aspects of the contemporary practice of science. Nicely produced for a book rushed so quickly into print (the story "began", in a certain sense, on March 23, 1989 less than a year ago!) , with a few simple figures. (NW) Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.