Reviewed with Nathan Aaseng's Business Builders in Oil. Gr. 5-8. In these volumes from the Business Building series, Aaseng presents the stories of major figures in two financial sectors, oil and computers. Organized chronologically and offering a sense of historical development, each book profiles six individuals and one set of partners who directed companies that rose to prominence. Oil begins with John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil and includes figures such as Andrew Mellon and J. Paul Getty. Comput ers starts with Thomas Watson Jr. leading IBM into early dominance of the computer field and includes chapters spotlighting Bill Gates of Microsoft, Steve Jobs of Apple, and Steve Case of America Online. These volumes present their information in an organized way, and unlike some series titles, they also tell intriguing stories that bring the subject to life. Black-and-white photos illustrate the books.

Each volume begins with a historical overview of an industry, followed by concise biographical profiles. Those featured include Bill Gates and Steve Jobs (Computers), John D. Rockefeller and J. Paul Getty (Oil), and the founders of White Castle and McDonald's (Fast Food). The wide margins contain often fuzzy black-and-white photos and boxed quotes. All but Oil contain time lines. Bib., glos., ind.

Gr 6 Up-Intel, IBM, AOL, and Apple are all familiar terms to students, but few know about the individuals responsible for the computer revolution. The history of the industry and its movers and shakers are profiled in an engrossing manner. The book begins with a history of computing and calculating machines and continues with short biographies of the men who founded and headed the businesses that molded the industry as we know it today. Each chapter includes pertinent black-and-white photographs of the inventions and people discussed. Individuals profiled include Thomas Watson (IBM), An Wang, Seymour Cray, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (Intel), Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (Apple), and Steve Case (AOL). This book will appeal to students interested in technology and will be useful for research.-Elizabeth Stumpf, Clearfield Middle School, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.