Ice Cream U by Lee Stout is very attractive coffee-table book about the Creamery at Penn State University. Mr. Stout chose the title since several Pennsylvania newspapers had called the Penn State Ice Cream program "Ice Cream U." I looked at the numerous photographs, both black and white and in color, in the book immediately after buying it several years ago, but had never read the text. The text covers more than just the making of ice cream; it discusses Penn State's role in the dairy industry in Pennsylvania, a brief history of ice cream from early times (not limited to Penn State), the instruction the University has provided in making butter and cheese in addition to ice cream with an emphasis on its short courses, and the extensive research that has been done in dairy science there. However, the focus is on ice cream, which has greatly appealed to Penn Staters for many years.

I was disappointed in the text which gets a bit repetitious. Moreover, following the text can occasionally be challenging since some of it appears in portions of columns under illustrations, or is separated by several pages of illustrations before continuing. The main text also competes with highlights of the text in large letters and with picture captions. If one does not read the text, one misses out on interesting information.

However, the book as a whole is beautifully done. ( )