One of my favorite surprises is when I get books in the mail. Well, the one that came recently is not so much a literary treasure (though the writing is perfectly fine) as it is of practical benefit.

It’s Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle, by Briarcliff Manor resident Seth Leitman.

I know Leitman. I wrote a column about him last October, when he came out with the latest version of Build Your Own Electric Vehicle, which was originally published in 1993 by another author.

Plug-in hybrids are cars that can run on gasoline, but also use batteries on board for power. You plug them in to charge them up.

There’s no doubting Leitman’s enthusiasm for the idea. One section in the book is called, “Conclusion: The Future Is Amazing!” (That was his exclamation point, not mine.)

Oddly, though, few if any of the companies Leitman lists in his book that sell electric hybrids, convert cars for you or sell the parts are in New York state. The Electric Auto Association, which anyone can join, lists no New York state chapter. The closest ones to the Lower Hudson Valley are the Long Island and New Jersey chapters. (The main association lists no Web site for the New Jersey chapter.)

Leitman once worked with the New York Power Authority on its TH!NK Clean Commute Program which got commuters to use electric cars partly by offering them up-front parking at some train stations. The new book’s preface includes photos of the cars parked at the Chappaqua train station.

His newest book came about after he finished he second edition of the electric vehicle book. Having done that for McGraw-Hill, the publishing house made him a consulting editor for a series called “Green Guru Guides.” The plug-in vehicle book is part of that series.

Leitman is president of ETS Energy Store, which advises people and companies on organic, natural and sustainable products. He’s got his own Web site, which you can find here, and a blog called Green Living Guy.