The approach the authors used is refreshing, easy to read. I believe E&M serves up the importance that trust is one of the core ingredients to success in both personal and professional lives. It is refreshing to read because the message of trust comes through as told in a parable. After having read the book, I ordered 5 to be sent to my customers that I consider "key customers." Highly recommend this book to "anyone" as the message the book delivers is for "everyone."

Books about change often overlook the inward look that must occur to make change happen. "The Eagle and the Monk" goes to the heart of the matter by addressing basic human needs - self-worth, accepting the worth of others, trust, etc. I can't think of any positive changes that have happened in my personal or professional life that wasn't preceeded by trust. This is a book I'll pick up again and again -- and will pass on to my co-workers, friends and family. Donna Culver

E&M provides an innovative approach to an important topic. Easy to read and thoughtful in guiding content discussion, this book will be a particularly welcome change for students interested in leadership.

Roger Moore's photographic style is exquisitely unique, truly a fine-art master, and his choice of subject matter can't be beat. These elements combined along with Sechrest's magical and moving poetry take the reader on a virtual fantasy vacation to one of the world's most beautiful and unforgettable areas. The fusing of the artistry of both the photographer and poet gift the viewer/reader with the stirring of all of the senses and emotions. One feels as if they've stepped into the photograph, smelled the ocean, looked up at the trees, felt the feelings, loved as Moore and Sechrest have loved.

Art should provoke response, should inspire action in kind. This book delivers a moving example of just that: photographer inspiring poet, poet guiding the artist's eye. Moore's captivating images are, on one level, a beautiful rendering of Monterey's allure. But like Sechrest, I see something else, something profoundly emotional, which Moore achieves straightforwardly, without artifice or manipulation. Be sure to share this book with your most insightful friends and enjoy their responses.

TIP: as the book's designer, I happen to know Moore will be publishing another remarkable book of southern Russian images in the near feature. Keep a lookout - Moore is definitely on a roll.

There is beauty all around us though we so often neglect to observe it. When we do, we find our spirits filled with joy. Roger Moore's magnificent photographs and William Sechrest's moving poetry touch the best in us and therefore fill our spirits with joy. I highly recommend this beautiful book to all those who wish to take a moment for themselves. By purchasing this book you gift yourself or those you choose to share it with, with achingly beautiful images and often thought provoking words.

I was amazed to read Dave Leaton's fascinating comments about Dominic being a book for the boys! As a child, this was my favourite book; I still have a beaten-up copy of it on my shelves at home, and I am most certainly a woman, nor was I a tomboy as a girl. It is an adventure story, for heavens' sake! And I do not feel that honour, (sorry, I'm English) nobility, virtue and complexity are peculiarly male traits. Aside from this, I enjoyed his review, which is accurate and interesting. I suspect that the reason this book hasn't received much attention of late is far more to do with the fact that thousands of children's books are published each year, and we are inclined to look more at what's new. Having said that, Dominic is a beautiful book - it's eventful, comic, very poignant too, and the charm of the book lies in Dominic's great eagerness to discover as much as the world can offer him. That curiosity appeals to boys and girls alike! - Sally Bigg

This book was a wonderful book. When my mom told me to go to sleep I stayed up to read more. I couldn't put down the book because it was great.Anyway, this book is about a dog looking for adventures and at the end he finds somebody and this someone comes along with him. Dominic met a lot of friends and some enemies. This book is very exciting. Read the book.

I was given this book by my brother almost 25 years ago, and I still consider it the best children's book I've ever read. In fact, I still pull it out from time to time and read it when I need a lift. I love the fact that Steig respects children enough to use sophisticated language and themes. This book has always made me feel smart and brave--just like Dominic himself! He is a wonderful hero and role model for boys and girls alike. It's a joy to read that so many others have also been touched by its magic. And the illustrations (by Steig) are incredibly evocative--they really draw one into Dominic's adventures AND his emotions. It doens't get any better than Dominic for bright, curious kids.

Do you remember the last time you put to use anything you read? How many books are interesting but not useful, or useful but not interesting, or useful and interesting but too complicated or impractical. This book suffers from none of those dysfunctions, but is wholly interesting, wholly practical and wholly usable.

If you are in the fortunate position of having the opportunity and motivation to put what the book teaches to use as you read it, you will undoubtly find that it dramatically increases your ability to 'let others have your way' and reduces the stress of negotiating (or selling, or whatever else you want to call trying to get, or give, something to or from someone else). The steps and principles are short and simple enough for even the shortest and least focused memory to remember and employ, and despite [sic] being based on research at the Harvard Negotiation Project, you will find them consistent with your past experience and immeasurably valuable for your future.

Get this now and start getting past no.

I thing "Getting to Yes" is the best book on negotiation in the market. It sets the outline. "Getting Past No" shows how to win difficult partner over the way you think. As in "Getting to Yes", Ury uses successfully a 5 step method for his method called "breakthrough negotiation".

1) Don't react 2) Disarm them 3) change the game 4) Make it easy to say YES 5) Make it hard to say NO

5 excellent steps in winning over a reluctant negotiation partner. Simple and clear steps that can have a great impact.

Getting Past No stands on its own. You don't need to have read Getting to Yes to understand and appreciate this one. Only do I love to go back to the basics of negotiation over and over, and their is for me no supplement to Getting to Yes.

This a must read for anyone that interacts with people. William Ury has written a very practical, easily read, guide and process that anyone can use right from the start. Not just a 'business guide', his five step process is easily applied to everyday situations and with practice is a foundation for much larger negotiations. The principles are well defined via a five step process that is demonstrated through examples that are fresh, relevant, understood by common association. Much effort has been made to make this text even more memorable than 'Getting to Yes.' Gearing concepts through example gives the reader a sense of self mastery without having to memorize lists. The framework builds upon itself with frequent review of previously introduced terms. From business to interpersonal communication, this book has something for everyone. This is also an 'easy read' at under 200 pages, the chapters are subtitled by concept and reference is easy. Read it, use it, and enjoy a more satisfying approach to negotiation strategy. Even alone, each of the five steps provide a valuable resource to summon upon when communications/negotiations are not moving smoothly. The principles will be right at your fingertips!! As my profession requires teamwork, I am delighted that a fresh, practical approach to interaction makes so much sense. I definitely have a new tool in my doctor's bag!!

I have had a current copy of The Gregg Reference Manual for over 10 years. It was a required purchase for a business correspondence course in college. It is an excellent source for any aspect of writing. It covers proper use of grammer, punctuation, spelling, editing, letter writing--you name it. Whenever I'm in doubt about ANYTHING I need to write, I use this book, and can always find the answer. The manual is very well organized into sections and numbered paragraphs. Examples are used for clarity, as well as examples of what not to do. I highly recommend this book.

As a written and oral communications trainer specializing in grammar, I needed the best reference manual I could find for my students. After reviewing dozens of them for over a decade, The Gregg Reference Manual by William Sabin continues to receive an A+ in my book. It is the only one I recommend because it is so comprehensive in scope, easy to use, and simple to understand. I take my copy with me everywhere.

Working with varied groups as a grammar expert, I am concerned about receiving a question I can't answer. Thanks to The Gregg Reference Manual, that's never happened. I've found answers to questions about even the finest points of grammar as do my students. Regardless of the concept in question, the book is amazingly easy to navigate thanks to its unique index. Unlike others, this one does not simply contain page references. Mr. Sabin references the numerous and detailed subjects in his index to distinctly numbered and lettered paragraphs instead. Those paragraphs contain both clear explanations of the related rules along with enlightening examples that serve to clarify rather than complicate the issues in question.

In my business, I have worked with thoursands of corporate and government employees ranging from experts in English to those who can barely differentiate between a subject and a verb. Whatever their English expertise or lack thereof, I recommend this manual to all of them. Without exception, those who bought it are praising it for the resons mentioned in this review and more. In addition, the price is right.

Try it for yourself, and join the myriad of other satisfied users who say, "Gregg is great!"

Since 1980, I have been recommending this reference to over 23, 000 participants in my business writing workshops. I describe the book as invaluable, comprehensive, beautifully organized, and continuously updated. The Gregg Reference Manual is one of two essential tools for business, government and corporate writers: the other is a fat dictionary. The Manual is full of wisdom and articulates sound uniform rules with nicely nuanced exceptions. It is simply my writer's crutch.

ONE CLICK THIS BOOK NOW

Few investment books rarely deserve our time and attention but this is a "must read" for novice and experienced investors alike.

If you've read anything by Bogle, Malkiel, Swedroe or Graham, then you'll appreciate Berstein's book. And given the current market situation and volatility, your nerves will be calmed by what Berstein has to offer.

The arguments are cogent and the text is well-written which makes this book easy to read again and again. And best of all, you can act on his recommendations for how to get started on constructing and re-balancing a diversified portfolio.

What's the big message to grok then from reading this book? (Let me whisper this to you very quietly so as not to disturb the brokerage and fund managers). Stock picking and active fund management are not as effective (consistently) as simply buying and holding a diverse set of asset classes. Most of which can be assembled and maintained using low-cost index funds. (Bernstein also points out the importance of low transaction costs and fees on performance/returns).

You may have heard this before but Berstein has done the hard part and now explains in detail why this is the case if not the law of intelligent investing. Is this case, what you don't know about investment risk will hurt you.

But the bigger message is that market risk is real. Asset values go up and down. However, by applying intelligent asset allocation, your individual portfolio risk can be managed (even minimized) while at the same time achieving reasonable rates of investment return. In other words, owning and investing in a diversified set of assets is the single most important investment policy decision you will make. Period.

Imagine that. Stock picking and hot hand mutual funds don't work as effectively as a diversified portfolio of index funds in the long run. And this is key because intelligent investing is all about time. Buying and holding a diversified portfolio for long periods of time. And most importantly, maintaining a disciplined approach to asset allocation and re-balancing on an annual basis.

Who should read this book? For starters, anyone who has won the big prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Read this book before you call a broker.

Secondly, any individual managing their own investments and/or 401K investments.

Finally, to all reformed stock pickers and chartists: do you want to sleep better at night? Read this book as well as Swedroe's book. As much as we would like to have our own black box trading systems to out perform/hedge the market, it probably isn't going to happen on this planet. Just ask the folks at Long Term Capital Management or George Soros or Julian Robertson.

If you're still not convinced of Bill Bernstein's wisdom, then go to his [site] and read his quarterly journals. His understanding and grasp of the subject are inspiring even to first time investors like myself. And he's a good writer too!

This is quite simply the best investment book I have read in a very long time. I don't completely agree with every last word the author utters but that pales beside all that the book does right. The emphasis is in all the right places: mutual fund investment costs, mutual fund investment risk, investment risk period, asset allocation, index funds vs actively managed funds, the efficient frontier, allocation strategy implementation. Best of all the book makes sense. It is logical, well thought out and mature. This is a great book for novices and experienced investors who have gotten lost and is a breath of fresh air in a world of day traders. This book is NOT shallow. It gives me great pleasure to give this book five stars. Read it and use it. You won't be sorry.

My copy of William Bernstein's new book, " The Intelligent Asset Allocator," has arrived, and I give the book a very high recommendation for anyone interested in this vital subject. Fundamental mathematical concepts of geometric return, standard deviation, and correlation are given clear and understandable definition. The real-world behavior of investment portfolios is dissected with intelligence and insight.

Portfolio optimization (its limitations as well as its legitimate uses), portfolio rebalancing, indexing (Mr. Bernstein's arguments against active management might even surpass Mr. Bogle's), Dunn's Law, efficient markets, random walks, momentum factors, the three-factor model, behavioral finance, and numerous other topics are given full and rewarding discussion.

I especially found Mr. Bernstein's treatment of investor utility functions to be especially insightful. In addition to the usual concern with risk tolerance, he suggests an investor must decide on how simple or complicated one's investment plan must be, and also how tolerant or intolerant one will be concerning tracking error to the market index as fundamental to implementing one's asset allocation plan.

In implementing asset allocations Mr. Bernstein considers the two indexing giants: Vanguard and DFA. Readers will find this section especially valuable.

This just scratches the surface; thought-provoking insights are available on just about every page of this absorbing book.

My recommendation may carry very little weight in your estimations, so I would add that the front jacket to the text contains a small, sunny emblem with the following inscription:

"This is a GREAT book!" John C. Bogle

Amen to that, blb

A very exciting book
Everything is going great at Plum Creek. Pa makes a new house out of wood and it has glass windows. a will pay for the wood with the money from their first wheat crop. One day a huge cloud covers the praire and grasshoppers fall from it. Laura is very exciting and daring while Mary is more ladylike than Laura is. Pa and Ma are very loving parents. Read this book to find out what happens next. This is a very catching book. Once you turn the page you'll never want to stop reading it. I liked this book because after every chapter you just want to keep going. I also liked thes book because it told what real people had to go through. The characters do amazing things. I would rate this book from one to five a six. The age group for this book I think is 8 and up. I hope you read this book!

On the Banks of Plum Creek is a really good book. Laura is seven like me. Her big sister Mary is eight. The little sister Carrie is two. They moved to the banks of Plum Creek and built a house. There was a town three miles away so they got to go to school. They had lots of fun in the water. You should read this book.

Laura and her family have moved to a small farm near Walnut Grove in Minnesota. They will have to adapt to Minnesota, the sod house, and a lot more. Laura Ingalls is a seven year old girl who loves to explore the creek, and is daddies little angel. Laura lives with her Ma, Pa , her two sisters Marry and Carrie, and their loyal companion and bulldog Jack. Pa goes out to get lumber and builds a beautiful new house with windows and he farms wheat to earn money. One day Pa said that in a couple weeks the wheat would soon be ready to pick. Then they see this peculiar sparkling cloud that filled the sky. Shortly after countless numbers of grasshoppers cover the field, the creek, and the rest of the farm, including Laura and her family. The grasshoppers consumed every plant including the wheat that Pa worked so hard to grow.
Mary and Laura start to go to school and on their first day they met many friends and some foes. one of their rivals was named Nellie who had a party and invited all the girls from school. Nellie was very rude and very cruel to Mary and Laura. Laura decided to have a party as well, and invited all the girls from school. Laura invites Nellie particulary to get back at her, and boy did she do a clever and a funny prank on Nellie. Then the Ingalls experienced blizzards, storms, and prairie fires which were very devastating. After all the work the family put into the farm and the wheat, their work finally payed off.
This book had lots of surprising, unpredictable, and very exciting events. If I could rate this book on a scale of one through ten, I would give this book a ten. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down, because I was so hooked on it. This book is fantastic and is great for every age, and great for every age, and should be enjoyed by everyone. If your looking for a great book that will excite, delight, suprise, and grasp your attention, On the Banks of Plum Creek is just the book your looking for.

Don't expect to learn Windows 2000 by reading this book cover to cover. It's not really designed for that. It is better used as a reference guide for commonly performed system tasks. In that regard, it serves its purpose quite nicely providing solid organization and simple advice.

This book serves a definite purpose. It's designed to be the book on the shelf that you use when the inevitable "How Do I Do This?" question pops up. It fulfill this purpose well. What this book is not designed for is to fully explain the features of Windows 2000 and Active Directory. There are other titles that do a much better job of that.

When and if you find yourself wondering "how do i do that again?" or "how does that work?" you will need this book. Its small enough to place on your desk and big enough to contain all the information about Windows 2000 as it relates to an administrator.

This book never comes up short in the help department. You cant remember it all and you dont need an 900 page book to remind you. Pick this up and keep it handy. You wont be let down when you need it most.

It's a very very usefull book to administrate the windows 2000 Network

General George S. Patton, Jr., was a legend in his own time. While known for his coarse language, he was also respected as a brilliant tactician and terrific motivator. Those who served with him weren't just "in the war" or "in the army," they were Patton's men. This hard-driving leader instilled confidence, acted decisively, and excelled under relentless pressure. His army moved at unprecedented speed, always on the attack and not on the defensive.

Patton did not write extensively; he was challenged by dyslexia. But he said a lot, was often quoted, and was written about. Historians have a rich treasure of who this unusual man was and the impact he had on others . . . and ultimately on the world. His approach to his work was clear and direct, making him an excellent case study and role model. Role model? A man who spat profanity in almost every sentence? Ah, look beyond the rough exterior that actually endeared him to his men. Look at how Patton thought, his philosophies. That's where the lessons are.

This book delivers 183 of those lessons in short, tight, bite-size pieces. This is a book you can read cover-to-cover or refer to as an inspirational resource. Each lesson is constructed as a Patton quote, with Axelrod's interpretation of the meaning, the purpose, and the impact of the words. The flavor throughout the book is how Patton's military style and experience applies to management and leadership of today's business organization. Or any organization, for that matter.

The beginning of the book includes an enlightening biographical profile of Patton to understand the context of the man. The volume concludes with some recommended reading and a helpful index.

As a reviewer, I'm tempted to start listing some of the titles of those 183 lessons. I'll resist, because it will be too difficult to present a representative sample. Every page of this book is filled with concise, valuable insights. Thought-provoking as well as inspiring, Patton on Leadership should be read-and applied-by leaders at all levels. Invest a few dollars and some of your reading time. You'll get a good return on your investment with this book.

Frankly, I had some reservations as I began to read this book. By now I have become weary of so many books with gimmicky concepts (eg Chicken Soup for Dummies, Caligula on Management) and was pleased to find that Axelrod has skillfully correlated Patton's expressed ideas on leadership with key issues in the contemporary business world. Many of those ideas probably reflect the influence of Sun Tzu and von Clausewitz whom Patton no doubt studied while a student at V.M.I. (for one year) and then the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from which he graduated. In any event, this is a well-written book with solid substance. After a Foreword and Introduction, Axelrod organizes 183 "Strategic Lessons" within ten chapters:

1. What He Did and Who He Was (Patton's Achievement and Background)

2. "A Commander Will Command" (On the Dimensions of Leadership)

3. "Always Attack, Never Surrender" (On Developing a Winning Attitude)

4. "How Do We Know That?" (On Fact Finding, Preparation, and Planning)

5. "Speed -- Simplicity -- Boldness" (On Execution and Opportunity)

6. "The Soldier Is the Army" (On Training, Mentoring, Motivating, and Inspiring)

7. "Letters of Instruction" ((On Communication and Coordination)

8. "Only One Direction -- Forward" (On Creating Efficiency)

9. "Success Is How High You Can Bounce When You Hit Bottom" (On Courage and Character)

10. "Audacity" (On Managing the Impossible)

I provide the chapter titles and subtitles to suggest the specific areas in which Axelrod examines Patton's ideas. Patton remains one of the 20th century's best-known and least-understood military leaders. Mention his name and most people immediately conjure an image of George C. Scott whose inspired portrayal provided an accurate but incomplete representation of Patton. It is worth noting that Patton's strategies minimized casualties of his own troops while maximizing destruction of those whom his troops opposed, that he assembled an extraordinarily talented staff to whom he delegated effectively and whose members remained steadfastly loyal to him, and that under his leadership his troops achieved truly stunning results, often with severely limited resources and under political constraints. There is a great deal to learn from this man...and Axelrod has done a brilliant job of suggesting what that is.

Axelrod includes a Recommended Readings section to which I presume to add Puryear's 19 Stars (A Study in Military Character and Leadership). In it, Puryear examines the careers of George S. Patton, Jr., Dwight D. Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, and George C. Marshall. You may also wish to check out Sun Tzu's The Art of War (Oxford University Press) and von Clausewitz's On War (Penguin).

Frederick the Great may have said it, but George "Blood 'n Guts" Patton lived it. What a remarkable man, and what a remarkable presentation about that man, his life and his leadership skills. One should read this book just for the hell-of-it if not for any other reason. What a great first read for anyone wishing to know more about the General.

First of all, this book reads well and fast, and it's hard to put down. Mr. Axelrod tells a great story, conveys the essence of Patton's Generalship and Management styles, and along the way adds some very good history. Axelrod clears up the legends and myth surrounding the famous slapping incident, and details the campaigns into Bastogne and to Berlin in short, clear and entertaining fashion. It was truly enjoyable to read this book.

To keep the record straight, the format of the book allows for a 3 - 4 hour total read time due to the fact that many of the pages have only 18 - 25 lines of print on them, where as others are in standard layout. The stories will excite, entertain, and cause "out-loud" laughter. The language is harsh sometimes, but perfectly appropriate to the original situation.

I say get the SOB book and read it "...every God damn night", and smile.

Cemetery Dance has become THE leading publisher of horror fiction. They put out great books by famed horror authors, but also a great magazine of short stories and articles from the leaders of the horror field. This collection of short stories reunites some of the best stories to have been featured in the Cemetery Dance magazine. And although the second tome is a little less interesting than the first one (which held 2 AMAZING Jack Ketchum stories, a good Stephen King yarn and one of the most amazing stories I've read in years by author Gary Raiser), The Best Of Cemetery Dance Volume 2 still offers some great, chilling and, at times, disturbing stories.

This tome is more concerned with detective stories/ serial killer stories. Plainclothes and The Pattern are two of the best. One of the most interesting stories in this volume is Barry Hoffman's Trial By Fire, a twisted tale of revenge. Matthew Costello's Vacation is one of the most terrifying and twisted tale I've read in a long time. And Dick Laymon's Desert Pickup is a good little story with a neat twist.

But I was disappointed that the story by Poppy Z. Brite is only the prologue to her novel Lost Souls. And Melanie Tem's contribution is very disappointing - she is able to do much better than this.

Overall, this is a great book that any horror fan should get. I am a devoted fan of Cemetery Dance and this book only reminds me of why.

This is one of those collections that when it says "best of" it means it. The stories collected here are wonderful. There were very few of them that I didn't like. They all made an impression one way or another and they definitely warranted being put in this collection. As a compilation from the Cemetery Dance magazine, there really is no central theme uniting all the stories, but I've never really thought that you had to have one. Just collect a bunch of really good stories together, call it something and release it. And that is exactly what Chizmar has done here.

The only thing that I thought was weird and didn't quite fit was the last story, or more accurately interview. It's an interview of Dean Koontz from a few years back. While slightly dated (he hypes the then-unreleased movie Phantoms as well as Mr. Murder, Intensity, and Survivor), it does contain some interesting points and definitely gives a better idea of who Koontz is. It just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the stories. Although I hate to limit my favorites to just a few, I've picked some and listed them below.

"Tyrannosaurus" by Norman Partridge - A woman seeks out vengeance against her child abducting ex-husband.

"Desert Pickup" by Richard Laymon - The circle is completed for a hitch-hiker in the desert and the woman who picks him up.

"With The Wound Still Wet" by Wayne Allen Sallee - An author and a photographer just do their jobs.

"Almost Never" by Edward Lee - Two thugs try to repay the mob by kidnapping a little girl.

"The Winds Within" by Ronald Kelly - A murder at an apartment building has a grisly origin.

"Animal Rites" by Jay. R. Bonansinga - A clever twist to an otherwise normal killing.

"Easy's Last Stand" by Nancy A. Collins - Workers at a phone sex operation prove that they are survivors.

The Best Of Cemetery Dance Volume 1 contains THE MOST amazing horror stories to have been printed in the last few years. This is a collection of who's who in the horror field. There is not one other collection of short fiction which will suprass this volume. It is, simply put, amazing.

Anyone should buy this book for the two Jack Ketchum stories, The Box and The Rifle. Both stories are amazing, touching, terrifying and very affecting. They are Ketchum at his very best.

The book also contains a very good and funny story by Stephen King, Chattery Teeth. But the real reason to get this book is to read Gary Raisor's The Right Thing, which is one of the most amazing stories I have ever read. That is one story I will not soon forget.

With other contributions from great writers like Bently Little, Lucy Taylor, Ed Gorman, Douglas Clegg and many others, this book is one that any horror fan should have on their shelf.