Igor Karassik, now deceased, was an original editor of this book. His extensive contributions to the earlier editions remain a signal feature of this edition. A major figure in the pump industry for the greater part of the past century, he also authored or co-authored six books in this field. Beginning in 1936, he wrote more than 600 articles on centrifugal pumps and related subjects, which appeared in over 1500 publications worldwide. For the greater part of his career, he held senior engineering and marketing positions within the Worthington Pump & Machinery Company, which after a number of permutations became part of the Flowserve Corporation. Igor Karassik received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He was a Life Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and recipient of the first ASME Henry R. Worthington Medal (1980).

Joseph P. Messina, also one of the original editors, has spent his entire career in the pump industry; and his past contributions on pump and systems engineering continue to be presented in their entirety in this edition. He served as Manager of Applications Engineering at the Worthington Pump Company. He became a Pump Specialist at the Public Service Electric and Gas Company in New Jersey, serving as a committee member of the Electric Power Research Institute to improve the performance of boiler feed pumps. He assisted in updating the Hydraulic Institute Standards and taught centrifugal pump courses. He also taught Fluid and Solid Mechanics at...