Not too often in time emerges a work of art that can encapsulate all of that's happening, and what will happen in the future in our culture. Just like when the series of Campbell Soups from Andy Warhol came out, it represented the whole pop culture in the late 60's, and the future of Pop art.
Like a true Warhol disciple David Lachapelle is always looking for the beauty in everyday things, he used to get depressed when he would go away anywhere and see signs of industrialitation, until he start finding the beauty in them, "we get excited now when we see Golden Arches an parking lots...The've replaced the forest".
There are no words that can explain these hipnotic, surreal, intriguing and enchanting photograhs and the emotion you could achieve when traveling through the pages of this book. It contains 151 pages of photographs, including pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Basinger, Simon Le Bon, The Smashing Pumpkins and the one and only Andy Warhol; plus 91 small outtakes of the photo sessions in two pages.

In LACHAPELLE LAND absolutely all the people look Hipnotically Beautiful, like he says he wants his photographs to be a break of beauty, this books is a Trip of Beauty.

Lachapelle is one of my favorite contemporary photographers. His use of color is outstanding. Between the excellent technical quality of his work, and the whimsical (and sometimes arousing) subject matter, there is nothing about this book that is unenjoyable! I find the fact that not one of his images was digitally created or even enhanced to be a testimony to his talent and artistic vision.

Not many photographers can put together the camp, kitsch, gloss and lustre that this man can. Even the gaudiest of pictures can envelope you mind's taste buds... Its beautiful, erotic and camp at its best!

This book (and Tales of the Resistance) were both given to me when I was very young. I was given the tapes as well (if you get a chance to listen to them, do! ). These books are absolutely wonderful! I learned so much from them! I've been looking for them for ages, and they NEED TO BE REPRINTED WITH THE ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATOR! Read these books, they are well worth your while!

This story is about a young boy who finds love and acceptance. My mom read it to me when I was a little girl. It is a wonderful book to read to any age. The boy Hero, and the Princess Amanda struggle through real problems, like me. Yet through the help of wise leaders, they are taught to overcome. The illustrations in the original book are incredible. Please reprint the books with the original illustrator!

I was first introduced to this book as a camper at a camp in North Carolina; I have since returned as a counselor there and have read it to my campers (who loved it as well)! As a children's book it is fantastic because although each chapter presents a different story with its own plot, each also weaves together with the other chapters to produce a larger plot based on the same settings and characters. This makes for great suspense for the kids from one reading to another! In addition, it is a great tool for conveying the biblical lessons pertaining to a Christian's daily walk. The stories are allegories. The format can even be seen as allegorical in the sense that, while each believer has a personal walk with Christ and daily experiences therein, each is also a part of the whole of Christ's body, the church...with the overall picture of a Savior dying to redeem sinners and one day returning to establish His eternal Kingdom. This book is fantastic!! I recommend it to all --whether child or adult!-- who would seek a tremendously written children's book which will encourage, challenge, and teach one in the ways of the King! (I, too, believe that the old edition illustrated by Jack Stockman needs to be revived!!)

This book is definately one of the better ghost story collections. It is very intelligent, and extremely well written, and most of all, some of the stories are truly frightening. All the stories seem unique, interesting, and unusual, as the writer really made an effort to present only the best. It is full of folklore and history which he uses very well to set the stage for the BIG SCARE! I really loved it. Definately get it!

The author takes a humerous approach to the oddities of New England. Many stories are historical dating in 18th and 19th century. This book makes you think twice about the world beyond. The author has gone to great lengths to varify all information presented. Wonderfully written; I couldn't put it down.

Generally, I'm don't get scared by things I read or see on television. This book, however, was quite frightening. I definitely did its job. Many of the stories in this book occurred near where I live, and I never would have imagined these stories had even existed previously. I always knew that New England had a rather strange past, what with all the Salem Witch trials and all, but these stories actually dug deeper than all of that. For instance, could you imagine strange monsters inhabiting Bridgewater, or a strange spirit force on top of Mount Washington? Naturally, these stories are merely legends, but they really make you stop and think. The documentation for this book is also quite good, as first hand accounts are recorded. When people in the law enforcement agency see things, as in this book, you know that there's probably something going on. This book only took me two nights to read. That should give you some indication as to how addictive and gripping it is.

British General William Slim commanded English/Indian forces during most of the "forgotten" war in Burma from 1942 to 1945. Slim is now regarded as the finest English general of the Second World War (yes, better than "Monty"). In this book, written some time after the war ended, Slim tells the reader about the early mistakes which lead to the near total defeat of the English army in Burma in 1942. ----- Slim's efforts to rebuild his army and then take the offensive against the Japanese comprise the majority of the book and it makes for a very interesting story. Considering that the terrain over which most of the fighting occured was even worse than Vietnam, I learned a great deal. Contrasting his experiances in Burma with the U.S. war in Vietnam is a good thought experiment. ---- Of most interest to military historians and people interested in the Second World War. As to personal matters the book is almost completely devoid of details. Slim was very much the English Gentleman and all the interesting personal details of his life you will have to find elsewhere. ---- P.S. It contains an interesting side note about the father of the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize winner: Aung San Suu Kyi. Her father fought against the British in conjunction with the Japanese but later turned against the Japanese when he discovered that they were just going to be new imperial masters, even worse than the English. ---- Colin Glassey

Field-Marshal Slim's memoir of the Burma campaign is one of thefinest generals reports from the Second World War. He outlines thebitter and decisive British defeat by the Japanese in 1942, the slow, painful rebuilding of the British-Indian-African Army and its collaboration with the Chinese and Americans in a see-saw campaign against the Japanese in 1943, the decisive battle of Imphal in 1944 and the crushing victories of 1945. In the mountainous and jungle terrain of the Burma-India theater Slim pioneered in the use of airpower for logistical support and the development of airbridges built around air fields. In many ways this under-supported and often neglected theater fought the most modern campaign of the second world war. Slim is a revealing and deliberate author-teacher who intended this book both as a report on a great campaign and as a series of lessons for future students of the art of war. The opening hundred pages are a little slow and the place names are never easy but the book is well worth reading for anyone who would seek to understand leadership and victory in warfare.

William Slim is virtually unknown today - even among the history buff circles, he is a rate footnote. Yet, among those who have studied World War Two - and those few remaining who had direct experience beyond a limited theater view - Slim is regarded as one of the finest army commanders to have served on any front during the course of that war. Slim was among the few that endured defeat in the war's beginning - the agonizing, protracted withdrawal of Burma Corps over a thousand miles of jungle, mountain, swamp and river terrain in Burma and India in 1942 - and survived and had the opportunity to lead revitalized forces to victory in the end (British 14th Army). Revenge was sweet. Slim's memoirs are a treasure - full of criticism and praise in fair measure - with intelligent and honest commentary throughout. His assessments of the critical elements of a successful campaign are worthy of textbook study. Not only did Slim's men have to fight a fanatical, relentless foe in the Japanese - he had to contend with debilitating tropical disease, lack of air and land transport, non-existent infratstructure, shortages of all types of food and supplies, as well as neglect from his own country and army. Burma was in many ways the forgotten theater. Controversial figures such as the American Stilwell and the British Wingate are men that Slim knew well in Burma - and he does not shrink from giving his candid assessment of these figures - strengths and weaknesses. Above all, Slim's book is a testament to the courage, intelligence and fortitude of the fighting men - soldiers, airmen and sailors - of all nationalities (majority of the fighting on the Allied side in the Burma-India theater was by Indians). His comments on the nationalist movements of the Burmese, Indians and Chinese are also of interest, in view of post-war events in these countries, including the expulsion of British rule. Slim was a rare figure - an Army Commander bent on winning for all the right reasons - while always maintaining his touch with the front line solider. He was eager to assign glory to those that deserved it - those that did the fighting as well as those that toiled anonymously behind the lines to keep the forward troops supported. He was also rare in that he was ready and willing to admit mistakes were made, and how those mistakes were overcome. With so many critical decisions to be made in such desperate circumstances with such limited information - it is a wonder that any informed directives could be issued at the command level in that environment. His perspective on the Japanese is also worthy of further study. Slim had a distinguished war record prior to World War Two - he had served in several operations in World War One, in the Middle East between wars - he was familiar with how soldiers fought and died all over the world. His contempt for the Japanese - the atrocities they committed on a routine basis against not only captured, wounded soldiers but civilians held helpless in conquered territory, and the unconscionable treatment of prisoners by Japanese - was thoroughly justified by his experiences. His willingness to continue to fight and kill Japanese and his refusal to treat defeated Japanese with anything other than contempt (he ignored MacArthur's accommodating gestures after the surrender) were measured responses - a reading of this book communicates that point very well. Slim understood his assigned was role was not just to retake Japanese held territory, but to kill Japanese soldiers - destroy Japanese armies. He was the man for the job.

Come with me...to the hills of Appalachia. In a time when money was short and life really was hard. Meet the Rains family. Learn what happened when you call Nancy Sykes a "liar". Learn old folklore and anticdotes. The characters come alive in these short stories compiled by one of Kentucky's most honored and cherished men., Kentucky's own Colonel, David S. Rains. As he recalls his childhood with humor, heartfelt appreciation and love for his mother you will read about what it really was like to be a boy growing up in Kentucky. Nowhere else have I read more of a true likeness to the actual life of Kentuckians. Depicted here, you will find the people exciting, quick witted, and down right entertaining. Truly memorable!

I throughly enjoyed Kentucky Bad Boy. Being David's daughter, I grew up listening to his stories and am overjoyed to finally see my father sharing them with others. Quite often oral history is lost and stories shared are forgotten. Thank you, Pop, for a most unique look at growing up in the mountains. Kentucky Bad Boy is an enjoyable book to read - laugh out loud funny - but most importantly, it will evoke memories of your own childhood. I know there are more stories to tell, and I look forward to reading them!

I enjoyed Kentucky Bad Boy very much. It reminded me of my own growing up years in Michigan. loads of laughs and very funny. I love to hear the stories of young people growing up, the funny, bad and sad things make very good reading. I am looking forword to reading more books by cousin, David Rains. Sure hope he continues with more books.

This is the first book that adresses the critical issue of corporate reporting - which hasn't significantly changed, if not since business entities started to get created in Ancient Mesopotamia, at least since the Great Depression. Yet investing habits have significantly changed. The SEC has brought in much needed changes in the way financial information gets reported, especially the way reports get written, etc. But there has been little movement in the types of information which get reported or new types of analyses that need to get done so shareholders have a better picture of the companies in which they invest.

This book takes us long ways in pushing for such changes. Written by a group of people who know a lot about the topic - unlike most business books, which are typically written by those who know very little, because the ones in the know are too busy working - this sounds the first death knell of corporate reporting as we know it. It is a rather courageous set of arguments that the authors make, coming as it does from an institution, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, which, frankly, has plenty of incentives to maintain the status quo.

I would highly recommend this book to every manager, investor, and student of business. One of the nice aspects of the book is its international breadth, further reinforcing the argument that in today's global realities, the changes ought to be globally driven and required.

The best thing about the book is its rigor. The authors' authority of over their subject matter clearly comes through the book as does their hands-on experience in wrestling with tricky, complex, corporate reporting issues that companies face and shareholders need - issues that under today's requirements are typically not addressed, and therefore, lead to the kinds of deleterious effects that are evident in today's pump-and-dump markets.

Finally, in a world of superficial, shoddy, silly, ghost-written tripe that is published under the guise of management thinking, this book stands as a shining, stellar example of what good management writing is all about: rigor, clarity, and the kind of expansive and aspirational thinking that forces people to want to read a book and ask themselves, "where do I begin?" This book is a much needed call to action on probably the most important managerial, corporate, and financial issue.

The ValueReporting Revolution is one of the best, if not THE best, financial book that I have read in the last few years. Thought provoking and compelling, this book provides a sharp analysis of how and why current corporate reporting systems need to evolve. A must read for both the investing community, who need to understand a company's true value, and the financial community, who report on and create a company's value.

The Value Reporting Revolution offers a much needed attack on the status quo of financial reporting and, even more importantly, suggests some remedies. Weaving cases and data from original research, academic papers, and the business press, Eccles et al. have written an accessible guide with minimal accounting jargon and even touches of humor.

After thorough analysis of the shortcomings of today's "earnings game," the authors map out a comprehensive approach to determining and sharing key financial and nonfinancial data that will help all business stakeholders assess a company's value. By using internal performance measurement tools such as the Balanced Scorecard for external reporting, companies can focus more clearly on creating value rather than face a quarterly scramble to burnish their earnings picture. Nonfinancial disclosure would also improve decision making for investors by providing a more complete picture of company operations and strategy.

In addition to promoting a commitment to improved ongoing communications, the authors note that the Internet and recent financial disclosure regulation have enabled new entrants to develop and distribute a range of economic information and services that compete directly with traditional Big-5 and Wall Street firms. This could signify the end of the "double-secret, uber-whisper" the earnings rumors that reach (and reward) only a subset of a subset of people in the know.

As an organizational consultant, this book was very helpful in clarifying the network of relationships among companies, analysts, regulators, accountants, and investors - and showing how they misestimate value and often move markets based on limited, asymmetric information. ValueReporting suggests an alternative way for companies to account for themselves that is aligned with sound management and sound investing.

I think this is a great book for someone wanting to get started in their personal financial planning. It is easy to read and not boring like other financially-oriented books. You'll be ready to develop your own financial actions plan after reading this!

Provocative, engaging and riveting are not normally words associated with a book on financial planning; however, I do not hesitate to use either one to describe this book. I was definitely not excited about financial planning until after reading the first edition of this book.

Chilton continues to uses a narrative style using characters that just about anyone could relate to. The Wealthy Barber breaks the age-old mind-set that only the rich can be rich. An excellent primer, you can apply techniques in his book today to ensure a better tomorrow. He also encourages further exploration and learning in order for anyone to become wealthy. Whether you're an executive or a gas station attendant, given patience and a little fortitude, you too can be wealthy!

I urge you, read this book!

At the time this book was given to me (by my Father), I was a Research Analyst for a mutual fund company. I thought I knew all there was to know about investing....but boy, was I wrong. In addition to working in a financial field, I was also married and had children. Reading this book showed me in such a simplistic and entertaining manner, how incredibly EASY it is to build wealth no matter what your income level is. I also learned about wills, life insurance, and other things that I never gave any thought to, but reading the book gave me insight as to just how important these things are...not to me, but to my family. My father is a very intelligent individual and has great money-sense. He is 51 years old and has never paid a single dollar in interest on his credit cards ! Now that is someone who knows how to properly manage his money ! He himself said that this book is propbably the most important and eye-opening book he has ever read - and that's why he gave it to me as a gift. If you are someone who has always been leary of investing, have no plan for retirement, or have a family, then you MUST read this book. It is written in a story-book format and reads just like any novel. This is not a financial lingo, how-to-get-rich-quick type of book. The "story" WILL show you how to build wealth....slowly, so you will be able to retire in style, not having to worry about money. Do yourself a HUGE favor and read this book. I guarantee that you will not regret it.

This book has many interesting textures and colorful pictures. Kids love it...but, so you know, the drawbacks are: 1. kids will yank out the feathers on the feathery bug page 2. if you have a "busy" child they will likely tear the pages. The pages have gaping areas where the textures come through; great for little fingers to YANK! 3. There is NO story line at all...just a one word adjective + the word "bug" on every page BUT, my son loves it...it just won't last for the nect child.

My 9 month old loves this book! I bought it thinking I would have to store it for a while, due to the delicate nature of some of the items to feel. I'm so glad I took it out. Every time I turn a page my son goes straight to the "feely" part of the bug and touches, rubs, flicks, etc. As long as you supervise your child, I think this book can be wonderful for any age. The bugs also make great noises when you touch them (the crinkly bugs "crinkle"...)

My daughter got this book as a gift when she was just a few months old and it is her all time favorite book which with the amount of books she has is saying alot. She has lots of touchy feely books but this one is the one she always asks for. Our copy is getting dogeared but it has held up well for such a loved book. I am not a big fan of bugs and cannot really explain her extraordinary devotion to this book. She just loves it and that is good enough for me. By the way she loves all of the bug books in this series. Check out Bugs that go Bump in the Night with the cool bug mask in the back.

This revealing book covers a highly charged and controversial period of American investment history. George P. Baker and George David Smith study the emergence of the investment house Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts (KKR), and follow it during the decade KKR ruled the world of leveraged buyouts. The authors begin with the early days when the partners worked together at Bear Stearns. They track the men as they build their own firm and create their own success. In clear, straightforward language, the book presents KKR's intentions and the economics of leveraged buyouts (LBOs). It discusses KKR's role in structuring and managing the deals. We [...] recommend this book as a must read for anyone interested in LBOs or the history of KKR. Executives at all levels will find the KKR saga interesting and useful.

Baker and Smith have accomplished two objectives in their short book. On the surface, they have expertly captured the key elements in the development of KKR as the frontrunner of the LBO firm. However, on a deeper level, they have also captured many of the elements that managers and entrepreneurs should consider when running or starting a firm. In this regard, the Preface and Chapter Five are worth the price of admission. For anyone interested in the evolution and history of modern American finance, read this book.

When in 1976 Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts left Bear Stears to form KKR, Wall Street realized these three dealermakers might become a major force in the restructuring of American big business then beginning. What could not be predicted was the heights KKR would achieve. It has risen from the ranks of upstarts to become a major player in "The New Establishment." While KKR has been the subject of other books and articles, none could be considered "definitive," as is "The New Financial Capitalists." It is more than a history of a bank, however. Baker and Smith have addressed the problem posed by the separation of ownership and management delineated in 1934 by Adolph Berle and Gardner Means in "The Modern Corporation and Private Property," indicating how the leveraged buyout programs of the 1980s helped resolve it.

This has to be one of the most touching books that I have ever read. And I love to read books that move me.

This author, like many of us, is a middle-aged member of the baby boom generation, and finds himself taking care of an elderly and ailing parent. But what was so moving to me was the level of loyalty and devotion that he offers his quite ill father. In relating his journey on paper, he makes it clear from the start that nothing would take precedence over his dad. No one was going to stand in the way of him properly caring for his father.

I enjoyed this book, and can tell you that it is okay for a man to cry (my wife did too as she read the book) when he sees such an improbable level of compassion and caring. It is rare today to see children care so strongly for their parents, so if I ever need him, I hope that I can clone this author.

Great book.

Richard Pettibone

Excellent book. Purely excellent. I couldn't put it down. Read it in one sitting.

The author bares his soul in this story of family and unconditional love. While taking care of an ill parent, Mr. Eide deals with every twist and turn that life handed him - and he does it with courage and grace.

In this book, everything is laid out for the reader (and the world) to see. But that is also what makes it such an enjoyable book to read as we can all relate.

I loved this book, and you will too.

From the beginning chapter, to the very end, what an enjoyable book to read. The author describes how his life changes when he must and wants to care for his ill father. I found myself laughing and crying all in one chapter.

Terrific reading, especially for those with elderly parents. This book is well worth the money.