Paul Bailey does an excellant job of breaking down a very complex process of achieving excellence. Every person, organization and institution that has "excellence" in it's mission statement must read this book. Paul Bailey articulates thought provoking messages everyday that will bring you one day closer to what it takes to achieve excellence.

366 Days of Excellence is an outstanding book about character and personal growth. Its author, Paul Bailey, speaks to the terrific challenges we all face in our families, jobs, and relationships. The book is founded on Five Pillars of Excellence: Character, Direction, Discipline, Relationships, and Leadership.

The heart of the book is 366 "daily reflections". Based on the Five Pillars, Bailey's reflections are simple (but not easy) lessons for examining the way in which we conduct ourselves. Each serves as a guidepost for achieving personal, team, or organizational improvement. The lessons are effective, common- sense messages; they are an improvement on other "self-help" publications in that they offer straightforward solutions to fundamental problems. They are proof that a book need not be difficult or prolonged to be very, very successful.

The book makes no promises. It only offers a recipe of sorts for what we all want: a better existence. It will challenge you to explore your behavior and define your beliefs. It will be a really good resource for managers and executives; probably a better tool for Mom and Dad.

The book "An English Madam" by Paul Bailey is based on the life of Cynthia Payne--the infamous British madam who gained a fair amount of notoriety after the police raided her Christmas party in December 1978. Guests--in various states of undress--were discovered in most of the rooms in the house. Men lined the stairs waiting for the bedrooms to become available. Pornographic films with inventive titles, and various whips and leather straps were removed from the home. These items later appeared in court as evidence against Cynthia Payne--or Madam Cyn as she is also known. Vouchers were also confiscated, for it seems that male guests who paid an entrance fee of 25 pounds were awarded these little vouchers for alcohol, food, entertainment, and the 'company' of a female guest of their choice.

The raid, and the subsequent trial, resulted in a prison sentence for Cynthia, but it also brought her into the headlines. Payne's charming frankness, ready wit, and out-spoken attitude towards sex both entertained and shocked. Bailey's book explores Cynthia's childhood, her difficult teenage years, her relationships with men, and her career as a prostitute and a brothel madam. Through it all, Cynthia frankly admits her past with a refreshing and unabashed candour.

Cynthia was born in 1932. She was the oldest of two girls, and her father was absent for most of her childhood. Ironically he returned and settled down just before Cynthia's mother died. Cynthia was rarely shown affection by her father, and they clashed constantly. He was openly ashamed of Cynthia and unable to communicate with her with any sort of intimacy. It's really not surprising that Cynthia left home at the first opportunity. She engaged in a series of disastrous relationships with older men who used and abandoned her. Despite all of the terrible hardships experienced by Cynthia, she manages to relate everything with humour and good natured tolerance. Many people would have become bitter, but somehow Cynthia managed to remain almost untouched by the disappointments. Ultimately, I think this is due to the fact that she always understood her lovers--faults included. She accepted them as the flawed human beings they were, and she didn't bear a grudge for all their shortcomings. She accepted everyone--no matter what faults they had, or what quirks they exhibited.

Cynthia's first contact with prostitution came when she was working as a waitress. She was approached by a prostitute who wanted to use Cynthia's room during the daytime, and Cynthia agreed as she collected as much money for one day's rent as she earned waitressing for an entire week. From this modest beginning, she concocted a scheme to sublet rooms and flats to prostitutes. This plan failed when the rents owed to Cynthia went unpaid, and Cynthia found herself facing her landlord without the rent money. He was quite happy to make an alternative arrangement, and so Cynthia became a prostitute--specializing in "the kinky rich" older gentlemen.

The book plots Cynthia's course through her many relationships--including the rather unusual relationship she enjoyed with Retired RAF Squadron Leader Mitchell Smith. One chapter is devoted to letters from various would-be admirers applying for posts in her household. The highly-readable book also contains black and white photos of Cynthia and her many friends.

There are two films about the life of Cynthia Payne. "Wish You Were Here" focuses on her childhood and teenage years, and it really is a marvellous film. There are no references in this film to Cynthia or her later career as a Madam. The second film, "Personal Sevices" details Cynthia's adult life up until the trial for the raided 1978 Christmas Party. Many of the characters in "An English Madam" appear in "Personal Services"--although the names are changed. For further reading, the book, "Sexplicity Yours: The Trial of Cynthia Payne" by Gloria Walker and Lynne Daly details the trial for a 1986 raid on yet another of Cynthia's parties. This newsworthy party was ostensibly thrown to celebrate the filming of "Personal Services"----displacedhuman.

I am a learning disabled adult and Mr. Reese's book gave me the inperation to do things that I thought I would never do. I am half his age and I thought I couldn't do what I dreamed of doing until I read the book.

I liked this book mainly because of the subjects. I'm not that big on photography as an art form. (As Andy Warhol said, "Photographers feel guilty that all they do for a living is press a button.") But I like Jim Morrison, Beatles, Stones, and a lot of others in this book. So really enjoy it because of that.

I first saw this book at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was amazed at the photographs. Mrs. McCartney didn't seem to take posed pictures with bright lights in the musician's eyes. She used natural light and caught the musicians in their natural state. I love this book so much because of the honest quality to the photos. I'd definately recommend it!

first of all, I just don't understand the people that didn't like Linda's book. As a beginner photographer, I can only hope I will ever be able to be as good as Linda was. Linda McCartney whom I loved so much and I still do.... thank you for inspiring me, I don't know what would I do without you. take care of John for me. I love you. Lihi.

Have you ever met someone and felt that you've known each other for a long time? That's how I felt about Kitty (this book's heroine). And like Kitty, I fell in love with Virgil and her quirky father. Just like Kitty, there is something mysterious about Virgil that I can't put my finger on. He's got a looming past in Romania, and Kitty has her dysfuntional family to deal with.

Anyway, at times this book will jerk a tear, or erupt a laugh. I enjoyed my time with Virgil and wish it could have gone on another 200 pages!

Readers not familiar with the works of English author PaulBailey should treat themselves to a few hours with this perspicaciousand highly original writer. His first novel, At The Jerusalem,captured three British awards; he has been cited by the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1980 and 1986. Mr. Bailey's initial United States publication, Gabriel's Lament (1987), traces the life of a young man who is systematically abused by his father and winds up eventually exposing his father's misdeeds in a book. Kitty And Virgil, the author's first novel in seven years, deals with misdeeds of another sort - those perpetrated under the Romanian regime of Nicolae Ceausescu. Kitty Crozier is an identical twin whose sister, Daisy, was a bit of a hellion as a child but has now morphed into complaining adulthood. An employee of London publishers, Kitty first sees Virgil Florescu through sedative drowsed eyes from her hospital bed. She notices there is "a glint of something like silver in his smile." They meet again in Green Park where Virgil is employed as a grounds keeper "picking up litter from the grass with a long spike." Eventually, she invites him to her home, and thus begins one of the most unique love affairs in literature. A tragicomic figure, a refugee and poet from Romania, Virgil escaped the tyranny of his home country by swimming the Danube, first to the border, then to Italy, where "he had slept in fields, washed in streams. Virgil is surely one of the author's finest creations, imbued with self-knowledge, a splendid, effervescent joy, and brio. However, Virgil is plagued by thoughts of his father who committed heinous crimes during wartime - the barbarous slaying of Romanian Jews during World War II. Somehow Virgil feels he must make reparation for these acts. On the other hand, Kitty's father is an aging, ridiculous dandy who once worked as a male model, married well several times, and now shares lodgings with an acerbic butler. Dialogue in the hands of Paul Bailey takes effervescent life, especially in the scenes during which Kitty takes Virgil to meet her father. The comparison between Kitty's father and Virgil's is eloquence itself. Presenting pathos, parody and humor in one slim volume could not have been accomplished save by an author with Mr. Bailey's gifts. Kitty And Virgil heightens awareness, disturbs, and entertains. It is one more star in Paul Bailey's crown. END

David Copperfield, Dickens' favorite child, is an experience. Forget what your high school teacher or college professor told you. Forget all the terribly bad film representations of this book. Forget the glib one-liner reviews about Dickens people being caricatures instead of characters. READ this book. This book is one of the few Real Books in this world.

The great storm scene alone will thunder forever in your memories. You will encounter with Copperfield:
• the evil, chilling Uriah Heep,
• the mental and physical destruction of his mother by a Puritanical,untilitarian step-father,
• the always in-debt Mr. Mawcawber who somehow transcends his economic and egocentric needs into something noble,
• the betrayal of Copperfield by his best friend and Copperfield's shattered emotions by this betrayal,
• the ruination of another close friend's reputation, and her step-by-step climb back out of the mire,
• Copperfield's own passionate step into marriage while too young with an irresponsible, yet innocent child-woman, her death,
• Copperfield's own rise from poverty and orphanhood into worldly success but empty life until mature love rescues him.

Dickens has a real gift for creating people that irritate you, yet gradually you come to love them - just like folks in real life. If you never have read Dickens, come meet David Copperfield. You'll find that your impressions of David from the brief snippets by critics, teachers, reviewers, professors and know-it-alls completely different than the Real Thing.

In an age when we have not much time to read one short book from cover to cover, few long books will ever be good enough to read twice; David Copperfield is one of them. It has, perhaps, the most unforgettable cast of characters ever assembled in a work of fiction: Mr. Micawber, Uriah Heep, Aunt Betsey Trotwood, the Murdstones, Mr. Dick, Peggotty, and, of course, David Copperfield himself.

The story is simple enough to start. David's mother marries a man, Murdstone, who makes life hell for her and young David. David has the courage to rebel against the tyrant and is sent off to boarding school and later to a blacking factory. For readers who want to compare childhood rebellion to authority in the movies, Alexander's defiance of the Bishop in Ingmar Bergman's great movie, Fanny and Alexander, is equally dramatic and sad.

David runs away and finds his Aunt Betsey Trotwood, who takes him in and supports him, with a little help from her wise/fool companion Mr. Dick. This is story enough for many novelists, but it is only the beginning for Dickens. David has yet to meet one of the great villains in literature, that "Heap of infamy" Uriah Heep. Uriah's villainy is terrible because it is hidden under a false pretense of humilty and service to others. The final confrontation between Heap and Micawber is one of the great scenes in literature.

None of what I have said answers the question, Why read this book more than once? The most important answer to this question for the nonacademic reader is "for the fun of it." From cover to cover this novel gives so much pleasure that it begs to be read again. We want to revisit David's childhood and his confrontation with the terrible Mr. Murdstone. Mr. Micawber is one of Dickens's great creations and anytime he is part of the action we can expect to be entertained. When we pair Micawber with Heap we have the explosive combination which results in the confrontation mentioned earlier in this review.

These brief examples only scratch the surface of the early 19th century English world Dickens recreates for the reader. Some other of Dickens' novels like Bleak House may be concerned with more serious subjects, but none lay claim to our interest more than Dickens' personal favorite "of all his children," that is, David Copperfield. Turn off the television, pick a comfortable chair, and be prepared to travel along with David Copperfield as he tells us the story of his life.

Charles Dickens has been one of my favorite authors since I was forced to read him in high school. I had not picked up one of his stories since, but upon reading that David Copperfield was Dicken's personal favorite book he had authored, I decided to try him again. I was not disappointed. Dicken's creates an incredible cast of characters and paints a vivid portrait of 19th-century England. Aside from fulfulling those crucial elements of writing a novel, Dickens tells a terrific story. The initial serialization of the story into 19 monthly parts required Dickens to create many dramatic buildups and twists and turns that kept the audience buying the next installment. When it is all put together the novel is an unexpected roller coaster that has many climbs, dives, loop-the-loops, and sharp curves. In the end everything of course comes together beautifully and the characters all get their just desserts. This is yet another clinic by Dickens in how to write a well organized, though unpredictable, novel that maintains the interest of a reader through approx. 900 pages of writing. It is a wonderful experience that all lovers of good fiction should at least attempt.

Delightful mind morsel. Innowen and Razkili are very lovable main characters, the plot is thrilling, the beauty of it will leave you floating in a cloud of euphoria for days. My only gripe is, after I finished the book, I lusted for more about the lovers. Dangit, they never did the deed...

Shadowdance was my first introduction to the world of SciFi & Fantasy. Few books I've read have brought both tears and joy to my eyes. I loved Robin's poetic words to describe ordinary objects and the way the author took me to the dark side of sex and mankind. Robin's character development and use of gay overtones added a beautiful dimension to the fantasy. The love between Innowen and Razkilli gave me, a gay reader, an emotional feeling I could identify with.

I just found and read this book, and I'm completely in awe. It's dark and grim, and yet ultimately uplifting. Bailey's prose is tight and lush. His scenes are visual and intense, and he sustains a level of poetry throughout the entire book that few writers achieve. The magic is subtle and beautiful. No lightning bolts shooting from fingertips here, no fireballs or flashy stuff. In fact, one of the things I like best about this book is that it completely avoids all the cliches of most fantasy. I really like the bronze-age setting, and Bailey's research really shows. But most of all, I like the intensity of the building relationship between Innowen and Razkili. Like everything else about this book, the characters are subtle. They develop and grow as the story progresses. This book is definitely one to keep and reread again and again, and I'm delighted to have discovered this author.

Arriving on shelves over twenty years ago, this collaborative work by Paul B. Ryan and Thomas A. Bailey is a comprehensive, in depth reference. Although lean on illustrations, it is full of important information on the many controversies surrounding the loss of the LUSITANIA in 1915. Conspiracy theorists beware: here is undisputable evidence that the sinking of the LUSITANIA was not the result of a setup. For anyone who wants the truth behind the LUSITANIA disaster, here it is - time tested and proven.

Postwar Japan is a publication of The Historical Association of London whose aims are to further the study and teaching of history. Paul Bailey presents a concise and readable analysis of the events in Japan after World War II. He includes a smattering of 19th and early 20th century Japanese history that led to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and enumerates the terrible loss of life caused by the war.

Paul Bailey uses the changing faces in the office of prime minister to characterize Japan's internal and external turbulence. Bailey elaborates in great detail about the public shifts in attitude and activism based upon the directions the prime minister in office chose to go.

Paul Bailey concludes that Japan's postwar period is not over because there are too many unresolved feelings about the war that affect the way Japan views the world. The postwar period may have ended at Hirohito's death in January 1989, but old hostilities and feelings resurfaced at the 50th anniversary ceremonies marking the atomic bombings and the surrender. Bailey's book includes a handy outline chronology and a map at the beginning of the book. He suggests further readings, includes an extensive bibliography, translation glossary, and a detailed index. Postwar Japan is excellent reading for those who want to study how sweeping lifestyle, economic and cultural changes in a country can be effected by a single person - General MacArthur. Readers will learn how those changes affect the long-term relationship between the victor and the defeated.