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Wilson Professor of Optical Physics and Theoretical Physics Emil Wolf has won the 2008 Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award presented by the Optical Society of America (OSA) and the International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE). His winning book is Introduction to the Theory of Coherence and Polarization of Light, which was published in September 2007 by Cambridge University Press.

According to Jose M. Sasian, the Chair of the Award Committee, "The joint Committee from both Societies made the decision based on [the observation that Professor Wolf's book provides] the first truly unified treatment of coherence and polarization, as well as the extremely high potential for the volume to become a widely adopted textbook worldwide."

The Joseph W. Goodman Book Writing Award is funded by J.W. and H.M. Goodman, and recognizes a recent and outstanding book in the field of optics and photonics that has contributed significantly to research, teaching, or the optics and photonics industry. Professor Wolf will be honored at an upcoming OSA or SPIE meeting of his choice.

Professor Wolf has served as both book author and editor throughout his career. For example, in 2007, Professor Wolf served once again as the editor of Progress in Optics, Volume 50, from North Holland and Elsevier Publishing. He has been the editor of Progress in Optics since the first volume was published in 1961.

Among all of his many publications, Professor Wolf is perhaps most well known for his classic book Principles of Optics: Electromagnetic Theory of Propagation, Interference and Diffraction of Light, which he wrote with Nobel Laureate Max Born. This book was first published in 1959 and is now in its seventh edition, which was published by Cambridge University Press in 1999. (lhg)

More about Professor Wolf:

Professor Wolf is the recipient of the Frederic Ives Medal of the Optical Society of America (OSA) (1978), the Michelson Medal of the Franklin Institute (1980), the Max Born Award of the OSA (1987), the Marconi Medal of the Italian National Research Council (1987), the Gold Medal of the Czechoslovak Academy of Science  (1991), the Medal of the Union of Czechoslovak Mathematicians and Physicists (1991), and the Gold Medal of Palacky University, Olomouc, Czechoslovakia (1991). He is an honorary member of the Optical Society of  America, of which he was the President in 1978. He is also an honorary member of the Optical Societies of India and Australia and is the recipient of honorary degrees from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands (1989), the University of Edinburgh (1990), Palacky University (1992), the University of Bristol (1997), Laval University, Quebec (1997), the University of Franche Comte, France (1999) and Aalborg University, Denmark (1999).

For further details, see:

Wolf, Emil. Introduction to the Theory of Coherence and Polarization of Light (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press), 2007.
ISBN-13: 9780521822114
Cambridge University Press listing

Wolf, Emil, editor. Progress in Optics, Volume 50 (Amsterdam: North Holland and Elsevier Publishing), 2007.
ISBN: 978-0-444-53023-3
Elsevier Publishing listing

Born, Max and Wolf, Emil. Principles of Optics: Electromagnetic Theory of Propagation, Interference and Diffraction of Light (England: Cambridge University Press; Pergamon Press). Pergamon Press published the first through fifth editions from 1959 through 1975, and Cambridge University Press published the sixth edition in 1980 and the seventh in 1999.
ISBN: 0-521-64222-1
Amazon.com listing