This book is compiled from the found writings of a sergeant of the Seventh Cavalry who survived the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The first hand accounts of men like Sergeant Windolph and Theodore Goldin are very valuable and interesting reading. They were not men defending their performance as were the officers like Benteen, Reno, and Godfrey. They had their biases but didn't have to grind axes. This account is worthwhile reading for students of the Seventh Cavalry and the Little Big Horn campaign.

As a Custer buff, this book has been on my shelf for a long time. A great book to read, one that fleshes out a lot of the daily life in the Seventh as well as the battle along Greasy Grass. Right up there with "Son of Morning Star" and Walter Camp's book on the subject. Check 'em out, you won't be disappointed.

I am a big fan of thomas bergers book "little Big Man" and loved the film. After reading this book I now know where Mr. Berger probably gleaned his inspiration for his classic novel. Reading this old soldiers memorable account made me thirst only for more. It is a real gem, and every Custer fan should have a copy in the home library.

An outstanding visual and lyrical story about silly animals and the situations they bring to our imaginations. I purchased this book for my great nephew shortly after taking him on a trip to the zoo... he loved identifying the animals, remembering them at the zoo, and giggling at the possibility of taking tea with a rhino or taking a bath with a giraffe. He wanted to read it over and over... and so did I!

This is a sweet story with cute illustrations. My 2 1/2 year old loves to read it! It is a favorite in our house. I would recommend it to any family!

This delightful, sweet, and incredibly illustrated book is our favorite. After a trip to the zoo we brought it home for our 3 and 1 year old to enjoy. The illustrations have amazing detail and capture such emotion. The rhymes are very cute and catchy. Our 1 year old squeals with excitement every time she finds it and she will sit and flip through the pages over and over and over. We love it!

This book gives an excellent overview of the topic, written in an easy understandable way. The authors have researched numerous articles and studies and compiled them into this work. The book also contains a lot of tables and graphs to illustrate the text. The foundations and the scope of target costing are well discussed and a small case study gives an idea how target costing is working in a practice. Moreover, there are a lot of references to literature and some examples from industry discussed. In the appendix there is a very useful collection of tools used in the target costing.

Definition and scope of target costing as explained in the book:

The target costing process is a system of profit planning and cost management that is price led, customer focused, design centred, and cross-functional. The target costing initiates cost management at the earliest stages of product development and applies it throughout the product life cycle by actively involving the entire value chain.

The difference between target costing and cost management is that the latter focuses on reducing the cost when they are already occurring, that means when the product design and the process are already defined. The target costing approach on the other hand helps to identify the allowable cost for a product in the design stage, the cost at the manufacturing stage are therefore known to be achievable and competitive. Further cost improvements are achieved by kaizen costing (continuous improvement).

this book is best for persons to understand the target costing indeeply with plain english. this book is also suitable for cost management in the globe.

This book provided more detail for target costings, more useful everyday, in both practical and theorical case. Moreover, this book use plain english for whoever in the world.

It's about time someone wrote a book on this topic. Is the book revolutionary or going to create a great upheaval? Of course not. Is it good sound, sensible advice? You bet!! Whether one is a CEO, parent, child, laborer,secretary, politician, professional, etc., we are faced with daily decisions ranging in magnitude from 0 to 8.0 on the Richter Scale. From what to do for dinner to what college to attend? From what to wear to do I take this new job and move my family? It's amazing though how difficult it can be sometimes to make a decision. For those involved in selling anything,you know first hand what a hurdle it can be to get someone to decide. For no other reason than to provide yourself with greater personal insight, make the decision to buy and read this book.

Saw the book on the shelf and picked it up, glanced at the back and inside back cover and then a few chapters. I was hooked.

This is an excellent book for explaining why we make decisions and how we can learn to make better decisions and very timely here in the SF bay area of California where there are lay offs in high tech and people are trying to decide to stay in CA or move and all the other issues we deal with on a day to day basis.

The Chapters that are really helping me are Law#10 Do What You Really Want,#11 If It Ain't Simple, It Ain't Gonna Work, #12 Have a Hopeful heart and a Cautious Head, #28 You Don't Have to Run from Risk and #29 Following Through Makes Decisions Wonderful.

This is a GREAT book for those of us who are at a fork in the road and it looks like a real fork with 3-5 choices. Or those of us who feel like the rope in a tug a war game and are feeling the rope burn. This is why I got the book, because I needed some sound proven (important word) advise that would help be choose the right branch or path in the road and the right way to avoid more rope burn.

On page 111 he says "You don't just make a decision. You live a decision" which is wise advise. And that "You have to ask yourself what you would want if none of the people in your life were in the picture". In Chapter or Law 11 (excuse the bad English in the title. English teachers will wince) he asks "Are you making things more complicated than they need to be?"

The author Dr Charles Foster really knows, appreciates and practices the KISS mode of life. Keep It Simple Silly. Great book and well worth the money and time. And a book that you will actually use a great deal and should have on your book shelf. Buy a copy for your local library as well. Share the wisdom with others.

Every time I pick the book up and re-read it I learn something I had missed the times before. This is a sign that a book has WISDOM!

Personal decision-making is something that few study, and even fewer work on to systematically improve upon their processes and practices. This book will allow anyone to become aware of weaknesses in their decision-making, and remedy those flaws. It will be especially valuable to those considering questions like who to marry and when, which career or job to choose, residential location, whether to have children or not, leaving a relationship, saving and investing money, handling health issues, assisting children with their problems, and the focus of your retirement.

Although I have had a great deal of formal decision-making training, I found that it did not cover many of the areas of advice here. So even if you think you know this subject, I suggest that you take a look at this book. Think of this book as a compendium of common sense that may not occur to you while you wrestle with an important decision.

Dr. Foster is a Ph.D. and M.B.A. so he has a sense of the theoretical as well as the practical. His 30 laws were divined through a 12 year study where the decisions of a few dozen people were tracked. Then the group was divided into two, based on the good or bad quality of the decisions. Those things more often done by the "good" decision makers became the basis of the laws.

Although the group is too small to be representative of the whole population, it is certainly an improvement over intuiting the ideas in the absence of any data. No data or analysis of these cases are provided, so you cannot see how strongly the observations held for yourself. That is the key limitation of the book, from my point of view.

I would normally be skeptical of such poorly documented advice, based on a "study" but the answers fit my intuition pretty well. So I am awarding five stars based on my personal reaction to the laws, rather than to the "study" itself.

In making a decision, you are encouraged to apply all 30 laws . . . not to look just for the laws that apply. You will find that some laws seem to conflict with others. I interpreted this as trying to help you acquire a more balanced perspective. Consider, for example, law #2 (Don't Decide Until You're Ready) which could come into conflict with law #4 (Choose It or Lose It) which points out that you cannot let too much time pass. In this case, the author suggests that the first 10 laws are in order of importance, and those that rank more highly should outweigh the lower ones. So you should take whatever time you need, keeping in mind that you don't want to let so much time pass that you make the decision through inaction. You'll just have to resolve these conflicts for yourself, as best you can. People will differ on how they do that.

Many such books are no more than a list of 30 laws, with some examples given. I was pleased to see that almost every law also had detail behind it that would help you apply that law properly. For example, law #7 (Turn Big Decisions into a Series of Little Decision Steps) contained information to help you identify smaller steps and to move expeditiously through them. Each law also had one or more interesting personal examples, presumably drawn from the "study" that led to the laws.

All of the laws fit into one of three principles:

"(1) Prudence is a virtue.

(2) Action is better than inaction.

(3) Decisions exist to make things wonderful."

Perhaps the best advice in the book is to "care about making a good choice." The book encourages you to proceed confidently. "Right now you have everything you need to make good decisions."

Here are some of my favorites among the laws:

"Focus on the Most Important Thing."

"Look for All the Good Things That Can Happen."

"You Always Have Better Options."

"Get What You Need To Feel Safe."

"Never Let a Lower Priority Outweigh a Higher Priority."

"Know Your Achilles' Heel."

"Make Yourself Proud."

"Know What's Real."

"Keep an Open Mind."

"Take Care of the Basics."

"Some of the Things You 'Know' Are Wrong."

"You Don't Have to Run from Risk."

For the most part, this book is so qualitative that it will not focus you enough for decisions that can benefit from calculations. I suggest you take a look at "Smart Choices" to get ideas for quantifying some of these important personal decisions. That book contains some excellent examples of how to do this for issues like selecting a residence.

After you have laid out your decision and come to a tentative conclusion, I suggest that you sleep on it before making your final step. Many times, I've found that a much improved thought emerges from the delay of one more night.

May your life be filled with great decisions!

I also suggest that you share this book with anyone you know who has difficulty with decisions. That approach can reduce the amount of problems you will have to help others resolve in the future.

In Why Can't I Be the Parent I Want to Be?, the authors assure parents that they already know what to do, but oftentimes fail to do what they know is right. This is usually due to some emotional obstacle that prevents parents from following through on their good intentions. The authors do a great job in explaining why parents get caught up in these emotional struggles, how to recognize problems and learn to be the parent they want to be.

Though written by psychologists (and with a foreword written by psychologist John Rosemond), the book - while scholarly - is quite easily understood and is an enjoyable read. They use the stories of three families to teach the various principles, which is one thing that makes the book so enjoyable. While the stories of the three families may not be identical to our own, there is much we can all relate to in them.

This book is for any parent who welcomes a common-sense approach to parenting. It also helps parents to assess their parenting style and then gives practical suggestions for change when needed, how to set parenting goals, and specific ways of getting there. The authors use the word "schema" quite a bit. They say that schemas are what we all use to make sense of the world, and that schemas help people create meaning about who they are. Schemas categorize and organize information. Knowing what schemas are is helpful to parents, they say, so parents won't have to struggle to be the parent they want to be. It was fascinating to learn what schemas are, how they are formed, and how the knowledge of schemas can be of help in parenting.

I especially found Chapter Five helpful and interesting. Entitled "Beyond Insight, Preparing for Action," it tells how to take action after we've gained the insight we need as parents, and these actions help us to make meaningful changes in our parenting. There are more exercises in this chapter to do which are fun, and helps us to understand further what our goals are and what we need to do to reach them. I found it quite helpful and enlightening and definitely recommend others try it, too.

I enjoyed reading, and learning from, this book very much, and I know others will, too. It is thoughtfully, creatively written and useful for all parents.

Charles Elliott and Laura Smith collaborate to teach about parenting through the use of stories as the employ three families to take the reader on a journey toward improving themselves to become better, more effective parents. Each family present specific parenting problems: Debra and Quinton (the overprotective mother who blames her son's behavior problems on others and the son who constantly gets into trouble at school); Jennifer and Jerod (the mother who can't say no to her son and blames herself for his problems, and the son who faces a possible second stay in the detention center); Kenneth, Sally, Lindsey and Nick (Ken loves his wife and kids but is driving them away with his constant criticism and control, while Sally is ready to give up on their marriage, and their kids, Lindsey and Nick, retaliate with silence or sarcasm). Why Can't I Be The Parent I Want To Be? enables the readers to discover their own "schemas", their repetitive nature, and the power they wield as parents as its guides them toward self-understanding, self-acceptance, and innovative ways of changing both thought and behavior. By the time the last page is read and the book set down, the readers will have discovered how to be the parents that already exist in their hearts and hopes.

This was a very helpful book for me! I am the parent of 4 very energetic kids and I have gone to many parenting classes and read lots of parenting books, all gave advice but I could never follow the advice. This book was written for the everyday parent in a language that even I can understand. They gave me advice and solutions to help control my temper and help me with some parenting advice that I really needed! My kids are more under control and listen to what I say! Thanks alot to the writers of this book! Me and my kids are doing alot better!

This algrebra textbook is certainly one of the best guides for college students. It starts with basic skills providing fundamentals ground for student such as me who had left mathematics for a few years. Every new concept is provided with excellent examples for illustration. It's helpful for independent learning too! The book covers the basic real numbers, Equations and Inequalities, graphs, Logarithmic functions, Analytic Geometry and futher topics in algebra for preparation of further math such as calcullus.More importantly, various types and styles of exercises came along after every sub-topic, and with answer at the back. This book is helpful and comprehensive!

Seller got the book to me quicker than expected and no hassle. the only problem was I ordered the wrong book.

This book is very thorough and comes with very good references on every proverb, relating it to other verses in the Bible. It makes a terrific personal study guide or guide to create a study for others. There is lots of commentary that is sure to shed light on so many verses that you will be sure to highlight and refer to this book often.

Excellent book, well worth the money. I've had mine for 8 years now and treasure it.

Classic devotional commentary on the bible book of Proverbs containing wisdom from King Solomon and others.

Charles Bridges provides sound insight into the book of Proverbs.

Sure to touch the heart many times in many ways. Just a little study of this book often produces rich results. Be sure to look up the scripture references. Be prepared to grow in wisdom and knowledge and understanding.

I have found the book excellent for a hystorical review of the years 1866-1947, well documented and pleasant to read. It describes the struggle of a nation to came into existance and to modernise. The book is not only a list of hystorical events, but more a monography of the everyday life. The author has an original way of describing the events of that time. I consider the book one of the best in this subject, recommended for anyone who wants to know more (than the fictitious Dracula)about Rumania's history.

A very elegant book , written in an elegant , clear style . Trutful to the historical context , with no biast interpretation of the subject matter , yet compassionate and open . Excelent !

I can admire this book for the intricate plotting and technically superior attention to detail, but I just found it too heavy going for my taste. Set in the 17th century, during the English civil war, As Meat Loves Salt follows the misadventures of Jacob, born a gentleman but raised a servant, whose overdeveloped sense of personal dignity leads him from one crisis to another. When the book opens, he is already a murderer. Within a hundred pages he becomes a rapist and a thief. All this is perfect training for a military career, and Jacob soon finds himself in Cromwell's New Model army and in thrall to a charismatic man named Ferris. The battle scenes were beautifully described as were the many realistic domestic scenes such as tooth pulling, but I just felt that the novel gets bogged down in its own self-importance.

I think this book is suited to those readers who have a real appreciation for 17th century literature, and readers who have an interest in English cultural history. In fact, I skimmed the last half of the novel, as I was getting impatient with the characters, and wanted to find out quickly what happened to Jacob. As an historical treatise on gay relationships, and a story of the cruel times, I think the novel worked quite well, but I would be hard pressed to recommend this as a "must read."

Michael.

I agree with all of the above reviews, both good and bad. However, Ms. McCann's writing is so superb that the negative things I have to say are secondary to the overall literary achievement of this book.

I have rarely felt less symphathy for a main character than I have for Jacob, he is the classic unwanted child, thwarted lover, etc. and his life and thoughts don't make for pleasant reading. Nor are her vivid descriptions of war and seige easy on the stomach. I am glad I read this however, her writing is so good I actually lived those times and their lives. My main question is why was this book written? To speak to us of a time -- the British Civil War -- is a reason, but why create such a despicable main character? I must say that the other characters aren't so great either. I admire the fact that they are people, not stereotypes, archetypes, etc. but I don't care for them. Ferris is a wimp; his aunt is physiologically myopic. Caro, Zeb, and Becs are not sufficiently characterized to be likeable, since we only see them through Jacob's eyes, but I will say, they are real.

In response to another review, I found the "voice" imagery very explanatory, explaining Jacob's feelings or what I would call his insanity. Also the homoerotic elements of the story are integral to it, and is another reason why the book is so compelling.

If you like great writing and strong, vivid characters, a feel of actually living in another time, and an ending that makes you think, this book is for you. If you want a happy ending, redemption, forgiveness and all knots neatly tied at the end, don't read this.

As Meat Loves Salt is a book that, as one of the jacket blurbs states, was woefully overlooked when it came to an evaluation of the best books of the year. The relationship between Jacob and Ferris is incredibly compelling and three-dimensional, as is the rest of this astounding first novel. The reader is submerged in the story completely and by the story's end is still left longing for more. Rich in sensual and psychological detail, this is one novel I would strongly urge others to experience, for it is like no other I have ever read. Truly a major accomplishment by a gifted new writer.

I had never read one of Dickens book before Nicholas Nickleby, though I had always wanted to. I particularly enjoyed this book because of Dicken's subtle sense of humor and colorful characters. It was easy to hate the villains such as Squeers or Ralph Nickleby, and laugh at the amusing chracters of Mr. Mantalini and John Brody(whom I found to be the funniest) Authenticity of personality and speech allows you to connect with the various chracters. Although he was probably the least complex, my favorite was Smike, the pitiful victim of the Yorkshire schools of the 1800s.
The one drawback was the size of this book. Dickens spent much time giving detail of many places and people (and did a good job of it), but we must draw the line somewhere. Just when one thinks enough words have been spent on one topic, it diverges into yet another irrevelant matter.
I'd recommend this book to almost anyone, unless you have a great fear of commitment. But the book has plenty of plot and satire to hold you to the end. I certainly was, but I don't think my librarian would believe me.

I would say this is "David Copperfield"'s B-side. It is a typical Dickensian book: the life of the Nickleby family from the death of the father until they are rich and happy. One of the most important parts of the book is the study of the horrible boarding schools of Yorkshire, where Nicholas is sent. We can read the dirty intrigues of Uncle Ralph, the adventures of Nicholas and Smikes as travelling actors (a world Dickens came to know very well), the kindness of the brethren Cheeryble.

Definitely, this is not one of Dickens's best novels, but nevertheless it is fun to read. The characters are good to sanctity or bad to abjection. The managing of the plot is masterful and the dramatic effects wonderful. It includes, as usual with Dickens, an acute criticism of social vices of his time (and ours): greed, corruption, the bad state of education. In spite of everything, this is a novel very much worth reading, since it leaves the reader a good aftertaste: to humanism, to goodness.

My first taste of Dickens was the appalingly long David Copperfield as a freshman in high school. I detested it, swore I would never read Dickens again, only to find that my junior year held in store for me what would become one of my favorite novels, Great Expectations, a book heinously bastardized years later by a 'modernized' film adaptation, with Anne Bancroft being the only redeeming feature.

Through the years since high school, I have begun to read Dickens of my own free will, and have greatly enjoyed his works.

Nicholas Nickelby, one of my all time favorites, is a wonderful novel, typical Dickens, chock full of characters, plots, satire, and story. Nicholas and his immediate family are the 'black sheep' of the Nickelby name. Humble, gentle, and common in the eyes of their well-to-do relative, Uncle Ralph Nickelby, who denounces Nicholas as a boy, and man, who will never amount to anything.

In typical Dickens fashion, Nicholas encounters adversity first at a boarding school, then in society, as he forges a name for himself. Along the way he befriends many, enrages some, and invokes the wrath of his Uncle Ralph, determined to prove himself right in bemoaning the shortcomings of his nephew.

One point of interest in this novel for me is the major revelation that comes toward the end involving the character of Smike. Throughout the novel he is loveable, pitiable, and utterly realistic, and his significance to the life of Nicholas, as revealed in the final chapters, is a true plot twist, and a charming, if not bittersweet, realization.

For anyone forced to read Dickens early in life, if you appreciate quality satire and an engaging look at the London society of more than 125 years ago, visit this novel sometime, it is one of Dicken's finest.